Microplastics Found in Farmed Fish and Pond Sediment, Raising Deep Food Safety Concerns
Microplastics in river and sea fish are not new, but researchers have now found these tiny plastic particles in freshwater fish raised in artificial, controlled environments and in the mud at the bottom of ponds, raising deep concern for food safety and public health across the country.
A study by Bangladesh Agricultural University in the Trishal area of Mymensingh found evidence of microplastics in farmed fish and pond sediment, according to the report. The study was published in the international scientific journal Environmental Pollution.
The study found an average of more than 11 microplastic particles per kilogram accumulated in sediment at the bottom of ponds. Because water exchange is limited in enclosed water bodies, the particles are settling permanently at the bottom, the researchers noted.
As a result, the particles are easily entering the aquatic food chain. In other words, there is a risk that they will travel from pond sediment into fish and ultimately onto people's plates.
How these harmful particles enter ponds is now the biggest question. According to the researchers, they spread from low-quality commercial fish feed, plastic feed sacks and packaging, remnants of fishing nets, poultry farms built beside ponds, and household plastic waste nearby.
More worrying, the report cited expert opinion that these polyethylene polymers are not destroyed at ordinary cooking temperatures. Entering the human body through fish, they could therefore cause serious damage to the liver and kidneys.
Bangladesh today ranks among the world's leading producers of farmed fish. The report said the sector plays an indispensable role in meeting protein demand and nutrition for millions of people.
But if this plastic pollution is not controlled, the country's successful fisheries sector could face an image crisis while public health protection is seriously undermined, it warned.
The report said poultry farms must no longer be set up indiscriminately beside ponds and plastic waste dumping must stop immediately. At the same time, the Department of Fisheries must strictly monitor the quality of farmed fish feed.
It also called for large-scale regular testing and monitoring of ponds and water bodies in other fish farming regions of the country, so the spread of pollution can be understood early.
Without immediate policy-making and effective implementation to protect the environment and ensure safe food, this plastic pollution could quietly bring a major disaster, the report warned.
The Trishal findings therefore cannot be seen as a problem of one area alone; they have emerged as an early warning for pond-based fish farming, food production and the public health system across the country.
