Nairobi Slum Sediment Trace Metals, Isotopes, and Organic Pollutants

Surface sediment geochemistry data from Nairobi, Mathare, and Ngong Rivers in Kenya, collected on January 16, 2020. The dataset includes trace metals, Pb isotope ratios, and organic pollutants like pharmaceuticals and hydrocarbons, supporting a 2022 research publication.

Use Cases

• Analyze trace metal concentrations and Pb isotope ratios to identify pollution sources in Nairobi slum river sediments.
• Correlate organic pollutant levels, including pharmaceuticals and hydrocarbons, with microtox bioassay results for toxicity assessment.
• Map the distribution of organochlorines and other pollutants across the Nairobi, Mathare, and Ngong River sampling sites.

Strengths

• Data is directly linked to a peer-reviewed 2022 publication in Applied Geochemistry, providing scientific validation.
• Includes multiple pollutant classes: trace metals, Pb isotopes, and diverse organic compounds (pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, organochlorines).
• Samples were collected from three distinct river systems (Nairobi, Mathare, Ngong) on a single day, ensuring temporal consistency.

Limitations

• Single-day sampling on January 16, 2020, provides only a snapshot and does not capture seasonal or long-term variation.
• Geographic scope is limited to specific rivers in Nairobi slum areas, not representative of wider Kenyan or regional sediment quality.
• Sample size, row count, and column structure are unknown, limiting assessment of statistical power and feature detail.

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS), associated with the published research paper.

Collection Method

Surface sediment samples collected from sites along Nairobi, Mathare, and Ngong Rivers.

Time Range

January 16, -2020.

Freshness

Data last updated in the platform on March 19, 2026, but the underlying collection date is January 16, 2020.

Geography

Nairobi, Mathare, and Ngong Rivers, Nairobi, Kenya.