-Mohali, January 27, 2025: In an initiative aimed at safeguarding people from the harmful effects of Benzene,PAOS Industries in collaboration with Mohali Municipal Corporation unveiled the ‘Benzene-Free Bharat’ initiative, which seeks to create awareness about the dangers of Benzene, who’s derivative ‘Linear Alkyl Benzene Sulfonic Acid (LABSA)’ is a common surfactant found in many dishwashing soaps and liquids. LABSA is derived from Benzene through a chemical process. It is noteworthy that in India, detergent manufacturers are using LABSA in their products, despite Benzene being classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO). The ‘Benzene Free Bharat’ initiative saw an awareness session on ill effects of Benzene being held at the Community Centre, Sec 69, Mohali. Mayor of Mohali Amarjeet Singh Sidhu was the chief guest. Deepankar Garg, PCS , Joint Commissioner, Mohali and Ranjiv Kumar, Assistant Commissioner, MC, Mohali were also present.
Sanjeev Bansal, Managing Director of PAOS Industries and an expert in producing Benzene free dishwashing soaps and liquids said, “Benzene, used to produce foam in cleaning products, poses serious health risks, including skin problems like eczema, rashes, and blisters. Over prolonged exposure, it can even lead to cancer as benzene traces can enter the human body through utensils cleaned with these products.”
The session saw speeches being made by experts on how Benzene was harming human health and solutions available to address the problem. Informational flyers too were distributed among the members of the audience. The people attending the session were informed about the existence of a web-link related to the classification of Benzene as a health hazard risk by WHO. What’s more, experts told the gathering that research paper links from Japan, National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society highlighting the health hazards created by use of Benzene were also available on the internet.
Amarjeet Singh Sidhu, Mayor of Mohali said, “I have been told that multiple studies and research papers reveal how the use of Benzene and its derivative is harmful to our health, and hence the need to save Bharat from it. MC, Mohali joined the ‘Benzene Free Bharat’ awareness campaign after it got to know about how some detergent products are playing havoc with people’s health. I am sure the campaign will get people’s support.”
Sidhu said further, “The Benzene-Free Bharat campaign aligns with our goal of creating a healthier and safer environment for our citizens.”
Asked to suggest a solution to the problem, Bansal said that ethical actions by manufacturers is the need of the hour and that they should not use LABSA in their products. “Our products in the market are all LABSA free as we use natural oils,” he said.
Santosh Jha, Marketing Head of PAOS Industries, added, “We are committed to raising awareness through distribution of gift kits, conducting activities like ‘sabun ka langar,’ seminars in institutions, and educational drives in schools to amplify the ‘Benzene Free Dishwashing Soaps and Liquids Industry’ message.”
