Toxic chemicals: What they are, where they’re found, and how they affect South Africa’s outdoors

When we talk about toxic chemicals, harmful substances that can damage living organisms and ecosystems. Also known as environmental poisons, they show up in places you’d never expect—like the clear waters of the Orange River, the soil in Kruger National Park, or even the air near informal settlements bordering industrial zones. These aren’t just lab hazards. They’re real, active threats to the natural spaces South Africans love to hike, fish, and camp in.

One of the biggest sources? agricultural runoff, pesticides and fertilizers that wash into rivers after rain. Farmers use these to boost crops, but when heavy rains hit, those chemicals don’t stop at the field edge. They flow into waterways that feed into dams and wetlands, poisoning fish, killing frogs, and making water unsafe for wildlife and people. Then there’s industrial waste, chemicals dumped illegally or leaked from old factories. In places like the Vaal River basin, this has led to long-term contamination that’s still being mapped today. Even plastic additives, toxic compounds like phthalates and BPA that break down slowly in nature. are showing up in fish and birds, showing how deeply these poisons have sunk into the food chain.

It’s not just about dirty water. Toxic chemicals are changing how animals behave. Birds are nesting less. Fish are dying in numbers that haven’t been seen in decades. Hikers are finding dead antelope near old mining sites where acid drainage has turned streams orange. These aren’t isolated incidents—they’re signs of a pattern. Conservation groups are fighting back, testing water, pushing for stricter laws, and tracking which chemicals are most dangerous. But progress is slow. The real problem? Many of these toxins don’t have easy fixes. Once they’re in the soil or groundwater, they stick around for years, even decades.

What you’ll find in the posts below are real stories from across South Africa—where toxic chemicals are turning outdoor spaces into danger zones, and where ordinary people are stepping up to protect what’s left. From illegal dumping in the Drakensberg to pesticide overuse near the Garden Route, these reports don’t just show the problem. They show who’s trying to fix it.