The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has granted the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) eight weeks to submit a further progress report on developing standardised 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 arising from media reports on microplastics in Indian salt and sugar brands and their detection in human blood. The next hearing has been scheduled for February 4, 2027.
In its report dated October 13, the CPCB informed the tribunal that several scientific institutions had agreed to develop uniform procedures for sampling, preparing and analysing microplastics across different environmental matrices.
The Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET) will focus on freshwater and soil samples. The National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) will work 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. At its sixth meeting on September 9, 2026, the committee reviewed progress and discussed procedures for analysing different types of environmental samples.
However, a common methodology has yet to be finalised. Although the Bureau of Indian Standards has adopted IS 18998:2025, titled Principles for the Analysis of Microplastics Present in the Environment, the standard provides general principles rather than detailed procedures specific to individual environmental matrices.
According to the CPCB, the participating institutions have been asked to submit proposals outlining their proposed methodologies. These proposals will be evaluated 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 emphasised that developing a comprehensive national methodology would require separate standardisation procedures for different sample types, followed by inter-laboratory validation. Only after this process could the methods be recommended for implementation nationwide.
The CPCB had sought approximately 12 months to develop and finalise uniform testing methodologies for water, soil or sediment, air, sludge and biota.
The proceedings originated from an August 13, 2024, media report titled All Indian Salt Sugar Brands Contain Microplastics Reveals Study. The tribunal is also hearing a separate matter arising from a March 29, 2022, report titled Detecting Microplastics in Human Blood.