Formalin detected in fishes on protected markets: Study

Formalin tainted fishes are being sold in the capital's kitchen markets, even in the "formalin-free" markets declared by traders while most of the fish feed are found with acute high-level toxicity of chromium, a chemical element, said two researchers based on their studies. 

Two researchers of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) said this while presenting their study findings at a seminar, organised by the Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD) and ULAB at the university auditorium in the capital yesterday.

Quoting the study, Tawhidur Rahman, senior lecturer and research associate of ULAB, said formalin was found in 42 percent of the fishes collected from the 'formalin-free" markets while formalin was detected in 48 percent of the fishes from the kitchen markets which were not declared as formalin-free.

He tested the fish samples with formalin detection kits made by Bangladesh Institute of Food Science and Technology of BCSIR after collecting samples from a few kitchen markets in Dhaka city in August, 2014.

Shahnoor Hasan, senior lecturer and research associate of ULAB-CSD, said her study found 1127ppm of chromium in fish feed samples collected from the markets in Narsingdi district.  Most of the fish feed companies had used tannery waste in the fish feed, she said.