Assessment of trace element contamination in the soil, Kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum), and local sports fields, their human health risk and environmental impacts in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

Thembelihle Sithole, Sihle Mngadi, Roshila Moodley, Olatunde Stephen Olatunji

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Article in Environmental monitoring and assessment, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 authors.

Thembelihle SitholeDepartment of Chemistry and Physics, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa.

Sihle MngadiDepartment of Chemistry and Physics, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa. sihle.mngadi@uuw.co.za.

Roshila MoodleyDepartment of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

Olatunde Stephen OlatunjiDepartment of Chemistry and Physics, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study examined the seasonal variation of trace elements (B, Ba, Cr, Pb, Sb, Se, Zn) in soil and Kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) around the Darvill Wastewater Treatment Works in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Twenty sites were sampled during wet and dry seasons and compared with control areas, Pietermaritzburg (PMB), Dumabezwe, and Mqulela sports fields. The samples were analysed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) for trace element concentrations. The results showed that trace element concentrations were significantly elevated near the Darvill Wastewater Treatment Works, especially during the dry season. Cr and Se had the highest soil levels, 1978 mg/kg and 1169 mg/kg, respectively. Only Cr showed substantial concentration in the Kikuyu grass tissue (957 mg/kg). The study evaluated the Kikuyu grass for soil remediation and trace element recovery; Cr (1.3) and Se (1.1) showed minimal bioaccumulation ability. Cr and Pb posed health risks via ingestion (hazard quotient > 1), particularly for children. Cr also showed the highest cancer risk, with total cancer risk values exceeding 1 × 10⁻

Indexed as

Environmental MonitoringPennisetumSoil PollutantsTrace ElementsHumansRisk AssessmentSoilSouth AfricaSoilSoil PollutantsTrace ElementsEnvironmental pollutionHealth risk assessmentKikuyu grassPhytoremediationSewage sludgeTrace elements

Identifiers

PMID41324793

DOI10.1007/s10661-025-14831-8

PMCPMC12669370

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.