500 kg of fish laced with formalin seized during inspection in Kumbakonam

The officials including Assistant Director (Fisheries department) Chinnakuppan, Durairaj, Inspector of Fisheries, inspected the stalls at the Kumbakonam fish market. They found perished fishes in some stalls and formalin laced fish stock in few other stalls. 

The officials conducted the inspection using the mini-kits supplied by the Fisheries department. They seized around 500 kg of fish found with traces of formalin, which health experts say might lead to cancer when consumed by humans. The seized fish were destroyed at compost yard of the Kumbakonam municipality. 

The officials said surprise inspections would be conducted in fish markets and fish stalls across the district. If the sales of formalin laced fishes was detected, severe action would be taken against the erring vendors, they warned. 

With the Food safety department inspecting fish markets across the city to detect fish laced with formalin, health experts have cautioned consumers about the harmful effects of the substance. 

Stating that formalin, which is used to prolong the shelf life of fishes, can cause various kinds of disorders, Dr S Raghunanthanan, head of the Toxicology department at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), said, “It can cause disorders in the oral cavity, the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidney, lung, heart, and the central nervous system in the early phase of reaction.” 

Stressing on the fact that it is also harmful when inhaled, he added, “The strong smell can affect the human body because it is poison in the most concentrated form. Ingestion of formalin could lead to peritonitis because of gastric wall inflammation.” 

In such a background, doctors have urged the consumers to be careful while buying fish. Meanwhile, even as the crackdown on fish markets continue, fishermen have distanced themselves from the trouble. 

“Our job only involves fishing and selling the fish to other sellers. We are not aware of what is done after that,” said K Bharathi, general secretary, South Indian Fishermen’s Association. He added that purchasing formalin is not something that can be done easily. “We are not sure how it is done,” he said.