Team Herald
MARGAO: The directorate of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), on Friday, clarified in a release that the spot tests carried out on the fish samples at the wholesale fish market in Margao on Thursday detected the presence of “Aldehydes”, which is a family of organic compounds which includes formaldehyde. The press note stated that the detailed testing of the samples was later carried out at the FDA laboratory at Bambolim in order to rule out the presence of formalin.
On Thursday, the FDA claimed, that the fish samples tested positive for formaldehyde. However, 24 hours later the FDA claimed that the spot test carried out for detection of Aldehyde is only an indicative test and unless the confirmatory tests are carried out in the Laboratory to ascertain the presence of formalin quality, fish cannot be declared as positive for formalin content.
The FDA claimed that the laboratory analysis performed on the fish samples drawn from Margao wholesale market and Panjim market showed the results on par with the naturally occurring concentration for the different fish tested ruling out the possibility of added amount of formalin. On Thursday afternoon, two more samples of Verli (silver fish) and Mackerels were drawn by the FDA officials from Old Goa and these samples also showed positive for Aldehydes by the spot test. However, upon laboratory analysis no added formalin was detected.
“The FDA will continue its drive to test the samples of fish for presence of formalin contamination to assure the public of Goa that the fish available in Goa is safe for public consumption. The public are requested not to panic regarding the quality of fish available in our State,” stated the FDA press note.
SGPDA kept in the dark
The Member Secretary of the South Goa Planning and Development Authority, Ashok Kumar, informed Herald that the FDA did not contact the SGPDA during or after the raid. The SGPDA is the owner of the whole sale fish market. The operations of the wholesale fish market have been handed over to a contractor.
The SGPDA does not monitor the wholesale fish market on a daily basis due to shortage of staff. The contractor is responsible for the daily operations, maintaining the hygiene of the fish market and collection of fees from the trucks and vendors.
CIFT Test arrives in Goa
On Friday, FDA Goa received the “CIFT Test” Formaldehyde detection kit for fresh fish developed by ICAR – Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Mastsyapuri, PO Willington Island, Cochin. The above two samples were also tested by this kit and the same did not show presence of formalin. These strips have been used by FDA officials in Kerala and other states to detect formalin contamination in the fish.
The CIFT institute took three months to develop the kit and another three months to validate the strip’s efficacy through random and blind testing under various conditions. The strips can detect upto 5mg/kg of formalin and takes around 10 minutes.
The CIFT had developed two low cost kits that can detect the pretense of formalin and ammonia. Each kit includes testing strips with a reagent solutions and a standard colour chart to assess the extent of contamination. The strip has to be scrapped on the surface of the fish and then 1-2 drops of reagent solutions should be added. The colour change will indicate the detection of adulterants in the fish. Each strips costs Rs 3.
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I have done it in the interest
of the people: FDA Director
In an exclusive interview to Herald, the FDA Director Jyoti Sardesai, stated that when the reports came in from other States that formalin is detected in fish, she ordered the inspection in the interest of the public.
“FDA is always proactive. My officers left early in the morning at around 3.30 am before the fish would get distributed. There was also a lady staff member with them,” she said. She expressed her disappointment about the way the public reacted. “The media should have projected it properly. The panic was unnecessary. If they needed clarification, they should have asked us before reporting,” she said.
The director was candid about the pressure she was under the entire day of the raid. “All our staff worked in the lab to test the samples,” she said.
She described how the samples were brought in icepacks within half an hour and tested in the lab immediately. “In other states, they sent it to some other land. Here we have our own lab which is why we would get the tests done immediately”, she added.
Herald spoke to other FDA staff who informed that they didn’t know the extent of the number of trucks that arrive at the fish market. “We just finished the President’s visit where all our staff was diverted to inspect the hotels where the President was supposed to visit. We don’t have enough staff, vehicles, drivers, etc. We have to manage (the whole State) with whatever little resources we have”, said a staff member under anonymity.
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Other toxic chemicals gone undetected?
Besides formalin, other toxic chemicals used by fish transporters are ammonia and sodium benzoate. Sodium benzoate is a food preservative and was detected in fish sold at Kozhikode in Kerala in February 2017. In significant quantities, it reacts with Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to form benzene which is a known carcinogen. The chemical can cause several diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, genetic disorder and destruction of cells.
Ammonia is mixed with ice to keep it from melting. It can cause mouth and stomach ulcers.
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DRDA asked to study formalin level in storing fish
BICHOLIM: Cancer specialist and former president of IMA Goa, Dr Shekhar Salkar has called upon the Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration (DFDA) to properly study the level of formalin and come up with a report so that rumours are avoided.
Dr Salkar told Herald that formalin is a Class I carcinogen and has the capacity of causing cancer. “Besides formalin some other things like alcohol and cigarette also come under Class one, but no one is talking about it. If formalin is taken within particular limit it is not harmful,” Dr Salkar explained. He asked the DFDA to investigate as to how much formalin is used to store fish.
He said that spot test could come positive but later the second test could come negative and it is very common. “FDA should properly study the matter as to how much formalin is there in the fish, outside the fish and in the environment where it is stored. There is something called as permissible level so all these factors should be taken into consideration,” he added.
“There are better ways to preserve fish,” Dr Salkar said, “but they are costly and so people use formalin.” He said it is upto the government to decide. “If government decided that no formalin should be used it should come up with rules and ban it,” he quipped.
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What is the permissible limit of formaldehyde in fish for human consumption?
According to the World Health Organisation, the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) value for formaldehyde is 150 mg per kg of body weight. By these standards, the exposure level for a 60 Kg individual would be 1 mg per person per day.
Formaldehyde is documented to be naturally present in many common food items, including fish, meat fruits and vegetable. In some seafood species, formaldehyde is produced when a chemical called trimethylamin oxide breaks down after the death of the fish. The level of formaldehyde can accumulate in certain marine species during frozen storage.
As per the report published by Society of Fisheries Technologists (India) the concentration of Formaldehyde in Marine fish is found to be varying between 2.38 to 2.95 mg/kg; fish/shellfish 0.33 to 16 mg/kg, etc.
Dr Sidney Moraes from Margao speaking to Herald on this issue said, “Whether naturally occurring or artificially added, formaldehyde won’t be detected if the fish is kept out for long or when it has been removed from the ice.
“We have been probably exposed to these chemically laced fish for a long time. Just one test doesn’t matter. They have to do it regularly to reduce the exposure,” the doctor added.
