Published : 05 Nov 2026, 12:53 AM
Updated : 05 Nov 2026, 12:53 AM
Fish raised in commercial ponds in Trishal, Mymensingh, contain microplastics, while separate research in the area has detected heavy metals and antibiotics, raising concerns about farmed fish safety.
A Bangladesh Agricultural University team tested sediment from 25 ponds in Bangladesh and 150 fish of six species.
They found 90 microplastic particles in the fish, an average of 0.60 per specimen. Sarputi had the highest concentration, averaging 1.20 particles per fish. Rui and Mrigel each had 0.68.
The study, titled “Microplastics in Freshwater Aquaculture: Evidence of Sediment-Fish Transfer and Associated Ecological Risk in Bangladesh”, was published in Environmental Pollution on Oct 8.
All 25 pond-sediment samples contained microplastics, including polyethylene and polypropylene.
Lead researcher Badiuzzaman Khan, a professor at the university, cautioned against conclusions about human health.
“The particles were found in the fish’s digestive tract, which people do not usually eat,” he told bdnews24.com. “So we cannot directly say at this stage that they are harmful to human health.”
But microplastics can carry heavy metals and other harmful substances, he said, calling for monitoring and awareness.
A separate study by his team in the same area found chromium and lead, as well as harmful antibiotics, in farmed fish. The findings are being prepared for publication.
Badiuzzaman said the sources, concentrations and potential health effects could not yet be detailed.
Research, not Alarm
Saidul Arefin, director of Dhaka University’s Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, said more research was needed to understand the long-term effects of microplastics.
“It is not right to reach a definitive conclusion based on a single study,” he said, noting that toxic substances and metals have tolerable limits, beyond which the risk of poisoning rises.
He urged public awareness and stronger government oversight.
Fisheries and Livestock and Agriculture Minister Mohammad Aminur Rashid said in August that higher fish production must not compromise quality. He cited concerns over lead and arsenic in soil and water and said the government was investigating their sources.
Pollution beyond Ponds
Microplastics are particles smaller than 5mm. They form as plastic bags, packaging, bottles and fishing nets break down, and are released when synthetic clothes are washed. Wastewater carries them into waterways.
Jashore University of Science and Technology Prof Gopal Chandra Ghosh said industrial discharge and untreated urban waste can raise levels of lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel and copper in water.
These metals do not decompose. They accumulate in river sediment, enter the food chain and build up in aquatic organisms.
A 2021 study led by Ghosh found microplastics in the stomachs of all 100 fish sampled from 10 species caught in the Bay of Bengal, averaging about two particles per fish.
In 2024, his team found 142 particles in 17 freshwater species in southwestern Bangladesh, averaging about one per fish, with some species exceeding three. Copper, lead and cadmium were also detected.
“This is an emerging public-health concern. It is not a reason to panic, but it certainly deserves attention,” Ghosh said.
He called for household waste collection, sorting recyclables, keeping drains free of plastic, enforcing the polythene ban and encouraging jute and cloth bags.
Why Study Farmed Fish?
Badiuzzaman said his team studied farmed fish after examining plastic pollution in rivers, as aquaculture products are widely consumed.
The particles may enter ponds through fish feed, rainwater runoff or poor pond management, he said. The team examined digestive tracts, not flesh. Sarputi had the most particles, while Katla, common carp and native Pangas had fewer.
Badiuzzaman said another study had detected chromium associated with tannery waste and antibiotics at fish farms in the area. He expected an update on publication within 15 to 20 days.
