Exposure to Mixtures of Emerging Contaminants in the Environment - Are Communities in Uganda at Health Risk?- A Case Study of Mbarara City.

Project Summary/Abstract: River Rwizi the main source of water for Mbarara City and
surroundings is threatened by anthropogenic pollution. Preliminary studies detected pesticides,
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals at concentrations higher than WHO drinking
water recommendations, exposing over 91,964 City residents to pollutants. Pollutant exposure
is linked to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDS) and emerging pollutants (EPs) pose new
threats to human health. No study has fully characterized EPs in River Rwizi or wastewater
treatment plants (WWTPs) in its catchment yet EPs and wastewater have an inextricable link. It
is hypothesized that the changing anthropogenic activities in Mbarara City have increased the
concentrations of EPs in River Rwizi, exposing residents to higher risks of NCDs through
perturbations of the metabolome. This study will inform intervention strategies to reduce
environmentally induced diseases in LMICs contributing to NIEHS goals and Uganda’s health
priorities of disease prevention, mitigation and control. Candidate: I have skills in research
methodology, data analysis, scientific presentation, and manuscript writing accrued during my
BS, MSc and PhD training and research works that resulted in 23 publications so far. This K43
grant will secure me training and mentorship in: advanced research methodology, management
of large data, research administration, responsible conduct of research, and grant writing. This
proposed career development plan will build on my previous training to facilitate me to
become an independent investigator through five training goals: 1) execution of advanced
qualitative and quantitative 1H-NMR and LC-MS metabolomics; 2) advanced statistical
analyses; 3) interpretation of metabolomics data in the context of biological processes; 4)
strengthening leadership and professional skills; and 5) application of histopathology to chronic
exposure studies. Mentors and Environment: This plan will benefit from physical and human
resources available through Mbarara University of Science and Technology [through Dr.
Tusubira and Prof. Alele (Biochemist and Toxicologist)], the Universities of San Diego and
Makerere [Profs. Bolender and Ntale, Chemists]. Research: I will (i) Identify and quantify EPs in
River Rwizi and in WWTPs in its catchment using chromatographic techniques and Wastewater
Epidemiology approach. (ii) The effect of exposure to EPs will be studied by metabolomics and
histopathology approaches. My short-term goal is to identify candidate metabolites associated
with exposure to EPs while my long term goal is to develop a career in Environmental
toxicology. Towards the end of this support I will apply for an R01.

Grant Number: 5K43TW012594-03
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Grace Birungi