Potential health hazards related to the trace metal accumulation in grass samples obtained near industrial area in Tshwane North district, South Africa.

Abstract The growing accumulation of trace metals (TMs) from Industrial emissions on vegetation has generated anxiety regarding the integrity of consumable goods by mankind considering that TMs may migrate into the dietary system via accumulation on the grazable grass by domestic livestock. The research project examined the levels of TMs in various grass samples collected near industrial sites in Tshwane District, South Africa, using the ICP-OES technique. The mean concentrations of TMs in the grass samples were in the following order Fe > Mn > Pb > Ni > Cr > Cu > Zn. Moreover, the overall concentrations of TMs in grass were found to be above the permissible limits for plants (4567.2 - 25638.6 mg/kg) Fe, (178.3 - 193.6 mg/kg) Ni, (159.3 - 183.7 mg/kg) Cu, (78.5 - 308.5 mg/kg) Zn, (21.8 - 424.5 mg/kg) Cr, (121.5 - 449.5 mg/kg) Mn, and (19.0 - 689.3 mg/kg) Pb. The research has further indicated that metals obtained from industrial activities have higher possibilities for growth in comparison to metals that originate naturally. By including TMs movement indicators into the ecological evaluation metric, mistakes in determining the true danger of these metals' possible plant uptake and subsequent circulation can be reduced.