Phytoremediation Pilot Study in a Mississippi Community Impacted by Petrochemical Refining

Communities in Mississippi located near petrochemical refining facilities face ongoing risks from heavy metal contamination in soils, threatening environmental quality, food safety, and public health. This pilot study evaluated the phytoremediation potential of Nerium oleander and cabbage (Brassica oleracea) in a residential fence-line community within the Cherokee Forest subdivision of East Pascagoula, Mississippi, impacted by long-term petrochemical and shipyard activities. Plants were grown directly in contaminated garden soils under natural field conditions. Soil and plant tissue concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), and nickel (Ni) were measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) (PerkinElmer, Waltham, MA, USA). Phytoremediation effectiveness was assessed through removal efficiency, translocation factor, and bioaccumulation factor. Results showed significant reductions (p < 0.01) in all soil metals, with cadmium removal exceeding 97%. Nerium oleander exhibited substantially higher metal uptake and translocation capacity than cabbage, achieving a maximum cadmium translocation factor of 9.99 and bioaccumulation factors up to 5.67. In contrast, cabbage showed lower translocation efficiency, suggesting that limited remediation potential but suitability as a food crop after soil treatment. These findings highlight Nerium oleander as an effective, sustainable, and community-acceptable phytoremediation solution.