Wulan Koagouw

There is a growing body of literature that suggests pharmaceutical contamination is an increasing risk to marine ecosystems particularly for countries such as Indonesia. However, very limited data exists concerning the level and nature of that risk. Building on this reasoning, my research investigates the ecotoxicological effects of paracetamol and metformin to marine bivalves. The effects of these most commonly used pharmaceuticals have been extensively studied both on adult and early life stages of mussels. These effects have been investigated at cytological, histological, and molecular level (trancriptomics), and whether the impacts can be transferred to mussel’s progeny (epigenetics).

This study also attempted to detect the presence of these pharmaceuticals in Indonesian coastal areas and the potential of using selected adsorbent biomaterials in the removal process, as an insight into available options for tackling this issue. Thus, the study aims to be a comprehensive and integrative assessment of the short and long term effects of those pharmaceuticals in the marine environment and the possible consequences for survival of coastal marine species.