High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is frequently used in the health and food industries for such things as pharmaceutical research, analyzing the nutritional benefits of various foods, and enforcing food safety standards. However, HPLC is used in many other industries as well—some of which may come as a surprise.
From helping solve crimes to catching doping athletes, HPLC can play a key role in a wide variety of exciting and important fields. Read on to discover 3 unexpected industries that HPLC training could prepare you for.
1. You Can Help Catch Doping Athletes with After HPLC Training
Doping is a major problem in sport, with some of the world’s most famous athletes having been brought down by allegations of using banned substances. When it comes to catching doping athletes, HPLC is often on the frontlines. Alongside other testing methods, like gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, HPLC is used to test blood and urine samples for the presence of illicit substances. As HPLC separates the various chemical compounds in the sample, analysts can accurately determine if the athlete being tested was using any banned drugs.
Furthermore, HPLC is being used to catch athletes who use masking agents, which are also banned in professional athlete. A masking agent doesn’t improve an athlete’s performance, but it does help flush performance-enhancing drugs out of the body faster than they would naturally. By using your HPLC program to detect masking agents, you can find out if an athlete was trying to cover up evidence of their cheating.
2. HPLC is Used in Environmental Research to Combat Pollution
Global warming and pollution are among the biggest challenges facing humanity today. You may not realize it, but your HPLC courses can be used in the field of environmental advocacy and research to help society better understand and respond to climate change. For example, one study used HPLC to show how an increase in freshwater temperatures could lead to dramatic fluctuations in the supply of periphyton, which are tiny underwater organisms that are an essential food source for many marine animals. That study helped to show how rising temperatures could upset aquatic ecosystems.
Additionally, HPLC can determine whether soil has become contaminated with dangerous toxic chemicals, such as around industrial sites. Through soil analysis, HPLC tells researchers what lies hidden in the soil, which in turn, can be used to determine clean-up methods and to decide whether land is safe for human use.
3. An HPLC Program Can Prepare You for an Exciting Career in Forensics
If you’re a fan of true crime, then obtaining HPLC certification could help you land an exciting career since HPLC plays a big part in modern forensics. For example, HPLC can be used to test whether drugs, alcohol, or other substances were in a person’s body at the time of their death, which in turn, can help determine whether the cause of death.
HPLC can also help investigators identify substances at the crime scene, including chemicals that may have been used to start fires in cases of arson. This information can then be used by police to create a timeline of events before and after the crime, and it can even help them track down possible suspects.
Are you ready for an exciting new career?
Contact Toronto Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology to learn more about our HPLC program.