Soil contaminated by heavy metals from agricultural and industrial wastes will produce
unhealthy food. Heavy metals enter the food chain and are consumed by human beings.
Phosphate fertilizer which contains small amounts of cadmium and lead is widely applied in
lowland areas of West Java. However, both these heavy metals remain below toxic levels. In
contrast, contamination of lowland rice fields by sewage sludge from textile plants and gold
mining has increased the heavy metal content of the soil and reduced rice yields. Remediation of
polluted soil is being carried out, using plants such as Vetiveria zizanioides and Eichornia
crassipes, plus applications of zeolite. These treatments were able to reduce the concentration of
lead and cadmium in the soil.