Browsing by Author "Ndyabahika, Aggrey"

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    Occurrence and ecological risk assessment of the selected residual active pharmaceutical ingredients in the Kinawataka channel – Uganda
    (Kyambogo University (Unpublished work), 2025-10) Ndyabahika, Aggrey
    Kinawataka channel, its streams and wetland is an important ecosystem that plays a vital role as a drainage system in the Eastern part of Kampala City, the capital of Uganda. The pollution and floods from the surrounding environment are taken through a series of natural treatment which improves the quality of water entering in Lake Victoria Basin. The presence of 7 residual Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), comprising of 5 antibiotics, 1 non-steroidal antiinflammatory (NSAID) and 1 analgesic and antipyretic drugs, was analyzed in thirty-three (33) water specimens obtained from the Kinawataka channel, 2 streams, and a wetland to investigate the potential ecological risk posed by these residual APIs to aquatic life in this ecosystem. Random grab samples collected into the sampling bottles previously well cleaned and soaked in distilled water over night, were refrigerated in an ice box (preferably 2-8 ºC) and then transported to the Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratories (DGAL) for analysis. Solid phase extraction was used for sample extraction and residual APIs analysis was done with the help of high-performance liquid chromatographyconnected to a mass spectrometer and their Risk Quotients (RQ) calculated. Only six (6) residual APIs, Amoxicillin (0.82-607.86), Erythromycin (0.0-3431.87), Ciprofloxacin (0.0-79.17), Sulfamethoxazole (0.0-987.16), Oxytetracycline (0.0- 5.34) and Paracetamol (0.09-1070.20) were detected at quantifiable concentrations (ng/l). The highest concentrations of residual APIs were erythromycin (0.0-3431.87), Sulfamethoxazole (0.0-987.16) and paracetamol (0.09-1070.20). The most contaminated sampling compartments were Jamaica and Kawooya streams, the main recipients of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility (PMF) waste water. This study also revealed that the detected residual APIs posed high, moderate and low ecological risks, where Erythromycin and Sulfamethoxazole (RQ=1.92, RQ=1.12 respectively) showed a high risk suggesting a huge threat to aquatic organisms in the Kinawataka channel, Amoxicillin (RQ=0.54) also posed a moderate risk whereas Ciprofloxacin, Oxytetracycline, and paracetamol (RQ=0.02, RQ=0.01, RQ=0.06 respectively) pose a low risk. Overall, residual APIs especially Erythromycin and Sulfamethoxazole were detected in high concentrations hence posing significant ecological risks in the Kinawataka channel. This being the first study to report the residual APIs pollution in the Kinawataka channel, policy makers should priotize implementing targeted measures that reduce pollutant levels especially in the streams by adhering to the polluter pays principle, enforcing regulations on industries, imposing fines on environmental pollution and promoting sustainable practices to prevent future contamination.