http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/10323 2026-10-17T04:34:31Z 2026-10-17T04:34:31Z Syeda Iman Sara, 01-167222-013 http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/21773 2026-10-06T13:26:17Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Evaluation of Pulmonary Function Among a Pharmaceutical Occupational Cohort in Islamabad, Pakistan Syeda Iman Sara, 01-167222-013 Occupational exposure to active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) dust, excipient powders, solvent vapors and antibiotic aerosols is a chronic exposure in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, which has not been extensively studied for its occupational respiratory health effects in Pakistan. The present study is a cross-sectional study aimed to assess pulmonary function and health related quality of life (HRQoL) among a pharmaceutical occupational cohort in Islamabad. A total of 78 workers from a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Humak Industrial Sector, Islamabad were recruited. Standardized measurements of pre- and postbronchodilator spirometry were made according to ATS/ERS 2019 guidelines: Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV₁), FEV₁/FVC ratio and Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF). The ventilatory patterns were determined according to the accepted diagnostic criteria, and the obstructive cases were further divided by GOLD criteria and bronchodilator reversibility. The validated St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) was used to measure HRQoL. Pearson correlation (α = 0.05) was used to explore associations between work duration, smoking status, BMI and spirometric outcomes. The cohort had a mean age of 31.6 ± 11.2 years (56.4% female), mean BMI of 21.7 ± 4.2 kg/m², and mean occupational tenure of 5.1 ± 4.1 years. In total, 62.8% showed ventilatory impairment: obstructive (33.3 %), restrictive (23.1 %) and mixed (6.4 %). Of those who were obstructive, 65.4% fulfilled GOLD criteria for COPD and 34.6% had reversible asthma-like obstruction. Mean SGRQ Activity domain score (28.6 ± 14.0) exceeded Symptoms (22.5 ± 14.2) and Impacts (14.5 ± 14.2) scores. Spirometric parameters were positively correlated with smoking (confounded by sex). Within the relatively short tenure studied no significant correlation was found between occupational duration and lung function. There is a significant level of ventilatory impairment among this pharmaceutical manufacturing workforce that is much higher than that reported among other comparable occupational groups in Pakistan. This indicates that there are multiple pathophysiological mechanisms at play, as there is a higher proportion of obstructive rather than restrictive4 patterns and both fixed COPD-pattern and reversible asthma-type obstruction were identified. The present results support the notion of the implementation of compulsory, periodic spirometric surveillance in pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and highlight the importance of further occupational respiratory health studies in this industry in Pakistan. Supervised by Dr. Fiza Sarwer

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Sabahat Baseer Abbasi, 01-167222-010 Fatima Shehreen, 01-167222-004 http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/21548 2026-08-03T05:07:10Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Removal of Pharmaceutical Compounds Mefenamic Acid and Naproxen from Aqueous Media by Using Granular Activated Carbon (Gac) in a Fixed Bed Column System Sabahat Baseer Abbasi, 01-167222-010; Fatima Shehreen, 01-167222-004 Pharmaceutical compounds including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as mefenamic acid and naproxen are increasingly detected in water bodies globally, raising serious concerns about their ecological and public health impacts. Conventional wastewater treatment systems are largely ineffective at removing these micropollutants from water sources. This study designed and evaluated a simple gravity-driven granular activated carbon fixed-bed adsorption column for the removal of mefenamic acid and naproxen from synthetic aqueous solutions. The column was constructed from a plastic syringe packed with layers of cotton, gravel, silica sand, and GAC with dimensions of 1 cm gravel, 4 cm sand, and 4 cm GAC respectively. Stock solutions of 1000 mg/L were prepared from pharmaceutical tablets and diluted to working concentrations of 5 mg/L, 25 mg/L, and 50 mg/L. The effects of initial concentration, solution pH (acidic and basic conditions), contact time, and water matrix type (distilled and tap water) on removal efficiency were systematically investigated. All samples were analyzed by UV-Visible spectrophotometry at 270 nm. The column achieved a maximum removal efficiency of 97.1% for mefenamic acid at 50 mg/L in distilled water. Removal efficiency increased with higher initial concentration and longer contact time for both pharmaceutical compounds. Mefenamic acid showed preferential removal under acidic conditions while naproxen performed marginally better under basic conditions above its pKa charge state. Tap water experiments showed reduced removal efficiency compared to distilled water due to competitive adsorption by dissolved matrix substances. Mefenamic acid consistently outperformed naproxen under all experimental conditions due to its higher hydrophobicity and stronger affinity for the activated carbon surface. The findings contribute to SDG 6 and SDG 3 by demonstrating the technical feasibility of a low-cost, electricityfree approach to pharmaceutical water treatment Supervised by Dr. Asma Jamil

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Fatima Nawaz Abbasi, 01-167222-020 Laiba Khan, 01-167222-005 http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/21546 2026-08-03T04:47:15Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Assessment of Noise Pollution in Selected Areas of Islamabad Fatima Nawaz Abbasi, 01-167222-020; Laiba Khan, 01-167222-005 Noise pollution is becoming one of the most important and notable environmental issues in growing urban areas where it is impacting the human population's health, well-being and quality of life. The present study was aimed to evaluate the noise pollution in certain areas of the city Islamabad, Pakistan and to check whether they meet the recommended environmental limits. Noise monitoring was carried out at various locations which includes I-9/1, I-9/2, I-9/3, I-9/4, I-10/1, I-10/2, I-10/3, I- 10/4, G-9/1, G-9/2, G-9/3, G-9/4, G-13/1, G-13/2, G-13/3, G-13/4, Kashmir Highway, I.J.P. Road, Faizabad Bus Stop, and G-9 Bus Stop. Using a calibrated sound level meter, sound level measurements were recorded at various times of the day to capture the differences in sound level between residential, commercial, transportation and industrial areas. The results showed that there were significant variations in noise levels when comparing the selected sites. Heavy traffic and public transportation, frequent vehicle congestion and commercial activities are the major reasons of maximum noise levels at Faizabad Bus Stop, I.J.P. Road, and Kashmir Highway. Some moderate to high noise was heard in the industrial areas of I-9 and I-10, and relatively low noise was heard in the residential areas of G-9 and G-13. In some residential areas, however, the noise exceeded the guideline values of 55 dB recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for residential areas. In regard of noise pollution in transportation corridors and commercial areas, very high levels were recorded, well in excess of the permissible limits, suggesting that there is a serious environmental problem with noise pollution in these areas. Supervised by Dr. Said Akbar Khan

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Umair Saeed, 01-167222-008 Maryum Gulalay, 01-167222-007 http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/21677 2026-09-03T09:59:12Z 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z

Removal of Selected Pharmaceutical Compounds from Aqueous Media Using Granular Activated Carbon(Gac) Filter Umair Saeed, 01-167222-008; Maryum Gulalay, 01-167222-007 Pharmaceutical compounds, including the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) diclofenac and ibuprofen, are increasingly detected in water bodies globally, raising serious concerns about their ecological and public health impacts. Because conventional wastewater treatment systems are largely ineffective at removing these persistent micropollutants, low-cost decentralized alternatives are urgently required. This study designed and evaluated a simple, gravity-driven granular activated carbon (GAC) fixed-bed adsorption column for the removal of diclofenac and ibuprofen from synthetic aqueous solutions. The column was constructed from a plastic syringe packed with sequential layers of cotton, gravel and sand. Stock solutions of 1000 mg/L were prepared and diluted to working concentrations of 5 mg/L, 25 mg/L, and 50 mg/L. The effects of initial concentration, solution pH, contact time, and water matrix (distilled versus tap water) on removal efficiency were systematically investigated using UV-Visible spectrophotometry. The GAC column achieved a maximum removal efficiency of 97.1% for diclofenac at 50 mg/L in distilled water. For both target compounds, removal efficiency scaled positively with higher initial concentrations and extended contact times. Adsorption was highly pH-dependent; both compounds exhibited preferential removal under acidic conditions below their respective p�� values, where the molecules exist in an uncharged form that favors hydrophobic interaction with the carbon matrix. Conversely, tap water trials demonstrated a decline in performance due to competitive adsorption from co-existing dissolved matrix substances. Comparatively, diclofenac consistently outperformed ibuprofen across all experimental configurations due to its higher hydrophobicity and stronger interactions with the activated carbon surface. Ultimately, these findings contribute directly to SDG 3 and SDG 6 by demonstrating the technical feasibility of an electricity-free, low-cost approach to emerging contaminant remediation Supervised by Dr. Asma Jamil

2026-01-01T00:00:00Z