*Toxic Heavy Metals in Soil and Plants from a Gold Mining Area, South Africa DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109639*

**Table 8.**

*The concentration factor and pollution load index of cadmium at various sampled sites and depths.*


### **Table 9.**

*Concentration of zinc in plant sample.*

The proximity of the eastern side to mine waste and the dispersion of Zn by wind is responsible for the high concentration of Zn recorded at 500 m away from the mine [80].

### *3.3.2 Cadmium concentration*

The concentration of Cd recorded in the roots and leaf of the plant were all higher than the permissible limit of Cd in plant, 0.025 mg/kg [81]. This means that the plant is polluted and therefore not suitable for consumption. The grazing of cattle in this environment must be avoided at all costs.

Overall, the average concentration of Cd in the root is more than the average concentration of Cd in the leaf. This is similar to Zn concentration in the plant which means the plant cannot translocate heavy metals from the root to the leaf [82].

The concentration of Cd in the plant's root and leaf are all more than the concentration of Cd recorded in the soil where the plant samples was taken. Lower concentrations of Cd were also recorded 1000 m away from the mine than at 500 m


### **Table 10.**

*Concentration of cadmium in plant sample.*

(**Table 10**). The deposition of cadmium oxide in the air due to mining activities in the rea is responsible for the wide spread of Cd in the area. It has been reported that Cd is dispersed widely by aid from melting and smelting activities plus additional anthropogenic pathways [83].
