12/04/2023
By Danielle Fretwell

The Francis College of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, invites you to attend a Doctoral Dissertation Proposal defense by Varsha Niroula on "Environmental Fate and Stability of Drugs of Abuse."

Candidate Name: Varsha Niroula
Degree: Doctoral
Defense Date: Monday, Dec. 18, 2023
Time: 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Location: Perry Hall, Room 115

Committee:

  • Advisor Sheree Pagsuyoin, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Weile Yan, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UMass Lowell
  • Frederic Chain, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, UMass Lowell
  • Susan Glassmeyer, Senior Research Scientist, United States Environmental Protection Agency

Brief Abstract:
Drugs of abuse are highly psychoactive compounds and are not fully removed during wastewater treatment, resulting in their continuous discharge to the environment. They have been detected in surface waters all over the world, yet little is known about their fate and impact in aquatic ecosystems. Early studies indicate potential for harmful effects in aquatic organisms (e.g., reduced mobility in crayfish due to tramadol exposure, DNA damage in mussels due to benzoylecgonine exposure).
The overall goal of this research is to evaluate the stability and fate of opioids and stimulants in aquatic environments and in septic drain fields. The specific aims are as follows: (i) assess drug stability in simulated riverine and marine microcosms; (ii) investigate the effects of drug exposure on microbial community profiles and the effects of microbial communities on drug stability; and (iii) evaluate the removal rates of drugs in septic drain fields. Eight drugs will be studied based on their high consumption: the opioids codeine, fentanyl, tramadol, and buprenorphine; and the stimulants methamphetamine, amphetamine, benzoylecgonine (cocaine metabolite) and ketamine (stimulant-anesthetic). For aim (i), bench-top degradation experiments will be set up to distinguish the individual contributions of physical, biological, chemical, and photolytic degradation to drug attenuation in the microcosms. Experimental runs will be carried out at two temperatures.