Microplastics Detected in Every Yamuna Fish Sample, Raising Food Safety Concerns

A team from the University of Delhi analysed 220 freshwater fish representing 12 species collected from Yamuna Nagar and Karnal in Haryana and from Sur Ghat and Sonia Vihar in Delhi. They recorded a total of 1,678 microplastic particles, finding that every sampled fish contained some level of contamination. The Delhi stretch exhibited the highest concentrations, which the authors attribute to dense urban growth, untreated sewage, textile waste and high suspended-particulate loads.

Microplastics were located not only in digestive tracts (751 particles) but also in gills (605) and muscle tissue (322), the latter being the part commonly eaten by people. Omnivorous Nile tilapia from Sonia Vihar had the greatest load (436 particles), while carnivorous needlefish from Karnal showed the lowest (37 particles). The study highlights a broader national and global plastic crisis, noting that similar findings have emerged from other Indian rivers and that microplastics have been detected in various human food sources worldwide.