Chennai: Just because developed countries do not have label disclosing presence of micro plastics in water sold in PET bottles, such a rule cannot be termed as unnecessary in India, the Madras high court has said.“In developed countries, water flowing from taps is potable and is consumed, whereas in our country, it is considered to be unsafe. Consumption is unique, as households buy and stock crates of bottles,” a special bench of Justice N Sathish Kumar and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy said.Counterfeiting, including refilling, is another peculiar problem. Therefore, this is a grave and important concern for our country, and no comparison can be made with other countries, the court said while dismissing review applications moved by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) seeking to review an order mandating such labels declaring presence of micro plastics in PET bottles and plastic packets in which sugar and salt are sold.“We have already observed in our order dated Feb 6 that even placentas contain micro/nano plastics and that, if such particles cross the placenta and become part of the developing embryo, the situation is indeed grim,” the court said.The bench noted domestic and international studies and scientific literature been done with respect to the micro plastics’ potential for affecting systems of digestive and gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, renal and excretory, reproductive developments, endocrine and metabolism, cellular and molecular and the possibility of long-term carcinogenic concerns.“All studies confirm that these bio-non-degradable particles, once inside the body, pass through body barriers into the bloodstream and, as a contaminant, move through blood vessels into other organs,” the court said.The order mandating such labels is only the barest essential minimum, namely informing the consumer that the food may contain micro/nano plastics. We carefully considered the balance of convenience in our order and found that this is the barest essential minimum required at this stage, while the FSSAI proceeds with further enquiry relating to the risk assessment, the bench added.
