NGT gives CPCB eight weeks to report on standardised microplastics testing methods

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has granted the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) eight weeks to submit a further progress report on efforts to develop uniform methods for detecting microplastics in water, soil, air and other environmental samples.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Member Dr Afroz Ahmad allowed the CPCB's request for additional time while hearing proceedings linked to media reports on microplastics in Indian salt and sugar brands and their detection in human blood. The tribunal scheduled the next hearing for February 4, 2027.

In a report dated October 13, the CPCB informed the tribunal that several scientific institutions had agreed to develop standardised methods for sampling, preparing and analysing microplastics in different environmental matrices.

The Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET) has agreed to work on freshwater and soil samples. The National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) will focus on marine water, coastal sediments, sludge and biota, while the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) will develop methods for detecting microplastics in air.

The CPCB said the joint committee constituted to establish a uniform methodology had held several meetings, including its sixth meeting on September 9, 2026, to review progress and identify procedures for different environmental samples.

However, the committee has yet to finalise a common methodology. Although the Bureau of Indian Standards has adopted IS 18998:2025, titled Principles for the Analysis of Microplastics Present in the Environment, the standard lays down general principles rather than detailed procedures tailored to individual environmental matrices.

According to the CPCB, the participating institutions have been asked to submit proposals detailing their proposed methodologies. These will be assessed by the board's Scientific, Technical and Financial Evaluation Committee before the work is awarded through memoranda of understanding.

The studies are expected to be funded through the NGTEC fund maintained by the CPCB.

The board said a comprehensive national methodology would require separate standardisation for different types of samples, followed by inter-laboratory validation, before the methods could be recommended for implementation across the country.

The CPCB had sought approximately 12 months to develop and finalise uniform methodologies for water, soil or sediment, air, sludge and biota.

The proceedings stem from a news report published on August 13, 2024, titled All Indian Salt Sugar Brands Contain Microplastics Reveals Study. The tribunal is also hearing a separate matter arising from a March 29, 2022, media report titled Detecting Microplastics in Human Blood.