Assessing the Role of Detergents in Pond Ecosystem

Detergents are used as a part of our daily life routine. Though they are widely used but their active ingredients which are highly toxic and persist in the environment for long are an important cause of environmental pollution. In our current work, we have studied the harmful effects of a combination of some commonly used detergents which find their way into the water bodies especially the pond ecosystem through everyday activities like washing clothes, utensils, and bathing in water. This water is the home to many flora and fauna especially the fishes like Cirrhinus mrigala. In our work, we have analysed the levels of the hepatic enzymes Alanine Transaminase and Aspartate Aminotransferase as well as the histology of gill and liver tissues. We have also analysed the presence of micronucleus in the fish blood. It was observed that the presence of detergents has increased the enzyme level as well as resulted in destruction of gill and liver tissue morphology. Detergents also increased the presence of micronucleus in fish blood. These results are indicators of deterioration of fish health due to detergent pollution.