Environmental Toxicity & r emediation r esearch g roup

Prof James Odendaal odendaalj@cput.ac.za

The focus of the Environmental Toxicity & Remediation group is to assess and monitor the state of pollution in aquatic and terrestrial environments in the greater Cape Town area. It also develops and evaluates appropriate remediation technologies in order to clean up the environment.

Two of our MTech students completed their dissertations in 2014. One dealt with the accumulation of lead and manganese in soil along road verges in Cape Town after the banning of leaded petrol in South Africa. This study found that lead still occurred in relatively high concentrations in the road verge soil even a number of years after the banning of leaded petrol. This, amongst other factors, may be due to lead’s long half-life.

Another MTech student investigated the microbial pollutants in stagnant water in a selected informal settlement in Cape Town. This study took place under the supervision of Dr Arnelia Paulse. It was found that stagnant water pools found close to communal taps in informal settlements can potentially pose a significant risk to the health of the community.

Other studies nearing completion include a doctoral and a master’s investigation under the supervision of Prof Reinette Snyman. The doctoral investigation is on the use of biomarkers to assess the toxicity of selected metals on aquatic plants, while the the master’s study is on the effect of metal pollutants on invertebrate communities in a freshwater system. Further ongoing studies include a doctoral investigation on the effect of metals on soil invertebrates, lichens and mosses in pockets of forest found in the mountainous areas in and around Cape Town.

Dr Vanessa Jackson is, amongst others, supervising an MTech study dealing with metal and microbial contamination of agricultural soil and an associated river.

Dr Conrad Sparks and Dr Rashieda Toefy are researching various aspects related to marine pollution.