Occurrence, Removal and Risk Assessment of Emerging Contaminants in the Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya

Occurrence, Removal and Risk Assessment of Emerging Contaminants in the Lake Victoria Basin, Kenya – Dr. Faith Kandie

Global concerns on the environmental occurrence of emerging contaminants have been on the rise due to their potential adverse effects posed to both human beings and other organisms. These contaminants include pesticides and biocides, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, chemicals used in industrial processes, and hormones. Over the past decades, the production and consumption of these chemicals has increased giving rise to concerns on their environmental fate and negative impact on organisms. In addition, inefficient wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) combined with poor waste disposal strategies and limited sanitation facilities has resulted to contamination of surface and ground water systems. The occurrence of these compounds in the aquatic environment pose adverse effects to exposed organisms including feminization of fish and amphibians leading to changes in ecosystem structure and function. Despite continuous consumption of these chemicals, monitoring has been inadequate especially in developing countries. In this seminar, I will discuss the occurrence and risk assessment of emerging contaminants present in surface water systems within the Lake Victoria Basin in Kenya. I will also present data on the efficacy of the WWTPs in the removal of these contaminants during the treatment process.

Faith Kandie holds a PhD in Natural Science from the Goethe University, Frankfurt and Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, Germany, an MSc in Environmental Sanitation from Ghent University, Belgium and a BSc in Environmental Studies (Environmental Biology and Health major) from Moi University, Kenya.  Dr. Kandie is a lecturer and researcher at Moi University, Kenya and a Fellow at the Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Study, South Africa. Her current research interests focus on analytical screening of organic micropollutants in surface and wastewater systems and the links to the prevalence and infectivity of Schistosoma-host snails in western Kenya. Dr. Kandie is also involved with various (inter)national collaborators in Germany, Belgium, Sweden, among other African countries.