How safe is the fish available in the market? This question is especially relevant for fresh, but frozen, fish transported in ice-filled cartons from distant fish production centres. Most of it normally carries hazardous contaminants like formaldehyde and ammonia. Fish traders often use these chemicals to prolong the shelf life of fresh fish and hide the underlying spoilage. Formaldehyde delays deterioration of fish and helps retain, though deceptively, its fresh look to keep it in marketable state for an extended period. Ammonia slows down melting of ice and also conceals latent rotting of fish by preserving the bright red colour
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