Microplastics in Salt & Blood: NGT Demands Progress Report from CPCB
The National Green Tribunal has ordered the CPCB to update its progress on creating uniform methods to detect microplastics in India's environment.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has stepped up its scrutiny over the invisible threat of microplastics in India. In a recent directive, the tribunal has granted the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) a period of eight weeks to submit a detailed progress report regarding the creation of uniform methodologies for the sampling, preparation, and detection of microplastics across various environmental matrices.
The order was issued by a bench consisting of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Member Dr. Afroz Ahmad. This legal push comes in the wake of alarming reports indicating the presence of microplastics in popular Indian salt and sugar brands, as well as the shocking discovery of these particles within human blood.
The Struggle for a Uniform Standard
While the Bureau of Indian Standards has adopted IS 18998:2025, titled “Principles for the Analysis of Microplastics Present in the Environment,” the CPCB has admitted that this is not enough. In a report submitted on October 13, the CPCB explained that while the current standard provides general guiding principles, it lacks the detailed, matrix-specific procedures required for actual sampling and analysis.
Because of this gap, a joint committee has been working to bridge the technical void. The committee held its sixth meeting on September 9, 2026, to review progress and figure out how to specifically detect these pollutants in different environments.
A Multi-Institutional Attack on Plastic Pollution
To tackle the complexity of the problem, the CPCB is collaborating with several specialized institutions to develop tailored methodologies:
- Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET): Tasked with developing methods for sampling and analyzing microplastics in soil and freshwater.
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM): Focusing on marine water, biota, coastal sediments, and sludge.
- CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI): Responsible for creating the methodology to detect microplastics in the air.
These institutions have been asked to submit formal proposals. Once received, the CPCB’s Scientific, Technical and Financial Evaluation Committee will review them before finalizing the work through memoranda of understanding. The funding for these critical studies will be drawn from the NGTEC fund maintained by the CPCB.
The Road Ahead
The CPCB has emphasized that creating a comprehensive national methodology is a rigorous process. It requires not only matrix-specific standardization but also inter-laboratory validation to ensure the results are accurate before they can be implemented nationwide.
Given the technical challenges, the CPCB has requested approximately 12 months to finalize the uniform methodologies for air, water, soil, sediment, sludge, and biota. The NGT has noted these requests and has listed the matter for a further hearing on February 4, 2027.
The case stems from a series of disturbing reports, including a study from August 13, 2024, claiming all Indian salt and sugar brands contain microplastics, and a March 2022 report regarding the detection of these particles in human blood.