Formalin content found in Pomfret fish in Bhubaneswar market

BHUBANESWAR: Formalin content has been found in Pomfret fish sold in Unit-4 market of the city on Friday. A team of experts from the fisheries and animal resources development (FARD) department conducted laboratory tests on nine types of fish samples collected from the market and found this content in the marine fish.
The team of 12 technical officers headed by PR Rout, joint director of fisheries (coastal), conducted raid on Unit-4 wholesale fish market at 4am and collected samples from the transport vehicles, wholesale counters and other sale points inside the market.

They collected different species of marine, freshwater and brackish water and took it for laboratory analysis using formalin testing kits provided by the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), Barrackpore. They collected samples like Mirikali (Mrigal carp), Rohu, Patua and Shrimp, Horse Mackerel, Pomfret, Pacu and Hilsa.

“Out of the total nine samples, one sample collected from Ratnakar Behera, shop no-3, of the Unit-4 fish market, found positive to formalin. We are interrogating the trader regarding the source of procurement,” said FARD secretary Vishal Gagan.

Behera said he had no idea about the adulteration. “What the dealers send us, we sell it. So we don’t have any information regarding the preservatives. We will keep this in mind and stop importing this fish in future,” he added.

Agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy said task forces will be formed to collect and test samples of fishes imported from other states. “We have asked district collectors and other officers to carry out the exercise. If anybody found guilty of adulteration, stringent action will be taken against them,” he added.

Formalin is a clear aqueous solution of formal dehyde (a gaseous substance) and methanol. It is used to preserve biological specimens and dead bodies in mortuaries to prevent them decaying. This substance can have adverse impact on heart, kidney and liver, sources said.

Manas Ranjan Sahu, associate professor of forensic medicine and toxicology, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, said formalin is a toxic substance which can harden the tissues and cells of the body. It is used as preservatives. “This can cause damage to internal organs including liver, kidney and heart. In a long-term, this may cause cancer in the body,” he added.

Odisha produces around 6.5 lakh metric tonne fish every year and imports around 40,000 metric from Andhra Pradesh and other states. Agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy on Thursday directed FARD officials to conduct inquiry into the selling of formalin-laced fishes in the market. Government took this decision after Assam government has banned import of fishes three days ago after some samples tested positive to formalin.