ANALYSIS OF EFFLUENTS FROM PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES MANUFACTURING PARACETAMOL PRODUCTS LOCATED WITHIN KANO METROPOLIS, NIGERIA

Abstract

The presence of heavy metals, active pharmaceutical ingredients (especially antibiotics) and other contaminants in
pharmaceutical effluents poses a great threat to aquatic and human life either directly or indirectly. The aim of the
research is to assess the quality of the effluents from three pharmaceutical manufacturing companies located within
Kano metropolis. Twenty-seven samples were collected using standard procedures and stored in a refrigerator. The
samples (50 ml) were digested using Nitric acid(10 ml) and then analysed for the presence of Cadmium, Chromium,
Nickel, Lead, and Copper using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric method. The pH, Turbidity, Total
Dissolved Solids (TDS), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), and Chemical Oxygen
Demand (COD) of the samples were also determined using standard procedures. The samples were screened for the
presence of paracetamol using an adopted UV Spectroscopic method after validation. Some of the samples (22.22%)
contained Lead above Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) official limit (<1 ppm) while Nickel,
Copper, Cadmium and Chromium were within the FEPA official limits. Many of the samples (48.15%) had pH
values outside the FEPA official limit (6-9) while 78.07% of samples were found to have Turbidity values above the
FEPA limit (<5 NTU). All the samples had TDS values within the FEPA official limit (<2,000 mg/L) while EC was
found to be above the FEPA official limit (<1000 μS/cm) in 33.33% of the samples. The TSS value of 70.37% of the
samples was found to be above the FEPA official limit (<30 mg/L). COD was found to be above the official FEPA
limit (<1000 mg/L) in 55.56% of the samples. Paracetamol was found in 25.92% of the samples within a
concentration range of 0.16-1.64 mg/mL. The samples are therefore, not safe for disposal into the public water
drainage system.