Nerissa Rajkumar’s research tackled the growing global concern around pharmaceutical contamination in water systems.
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EVERYDAY human activities contribute to pharmaceutical pollution which is largely invisible to the public, says UKZN science graduate Nerissa Rajkumar.
She says while it’s not always visible it can have long-term environmental consequences.
Research conducted for her Master of Science in Chemistry degree showed that pharmaceutical compounds can still be detected even after wastewater treatment processes.
“So we often assume that once something goes downstream, it is flushed away, it simply disappears. But many pharmaceuticals are designed to be chemically stable so that they can work effectively in the body. Because of this, traces of medication such as painkillers, antibiotics, steroidal hormones and antiretrovirals can still persist in our water systems and potentially enter the environment," Rajkumar said.
Nerissa Rajkumar graduated with a Master of Science in Chemistry.
Image: Supplied.
She explained that pharmaceutical pollution was often invisible to the public because it did not resemble visible pollution such as litter or oil spills.
Rajkumar also warned that pharmaceutical pollution could have long-term effects on aquatic ecosystems and raised concerns around antimicrobial resistance.
She investigated the growing global concern around pharmaceutical contamination in water systems by using a laboratory technique called high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to analyse wastewater samples to identify and measure the presence of certain pharmaceutical compounds.
“My interest in this topic was definitely sparked by my passion for analytical and environmental chemistry, and my desire to work on research that has direct societal relevance.
“Water is one of our most important resources, especially in South Africa, and I became interested in understanding how emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals interact with our environment,” she said.
She stressed that daily habits matter and called on people not to flush unused medications down toilets and to properly dispose of expired medication.
Small behavioural changes could make a difference because many people were unaware of how pharmaceutical waste enters water systems, she said.
“Many people do not realise that wastewater treatment plants are not always specifically designed to completely remove these complex compounds,” she told the Independent on Saturday.
Her thesis was titled ‘Optimisation and Validation of a High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Photodiode Array Method for the Quantification of Contaminants of Emerging Concern – An Investigation of Seven Selected Pharmaceuticals’.
“I was particularly drawn to the challenge of developing analytical methods capable of detecting these compounds in complex wastewater matrices because it combines scientific problem-solving with environmental protection and public health.”
Her work contributes to efforts to improve environmental monitoring and protect water quality.
For now she has set her sights on research in analytical and environmental chemistry, particularly in areas related to emerging contaminants in water systems. Ultimately though, Rajkumar wants to study further and obtain a PhD, and contribute to research that improves environmental monitoring and water quality management.
She says her Master’s degree was rewarding. “I hope that my research contributes in a small way to advancing environmental science and encourages continued efforts to protect our water resources,” she said.