ABSTRACT
In the last few decades of the previous century, public awareness of the potential harmful effects of heavy metals to humans and the environment has increased (Mellor and Bevan, 1999). This is no more apparent than in the Southeast Asia region, where many incidences of poisoning from inadvertent ingestion of metals have been recorded. Metals enter the environment through several anthropogenic activities. In the urban areas, industrial processes are one of the major sources of metals. Several studies have demonstrated metal contamination from various industrial activities such as mining, smelting and manufacturing (Beavington, 1975; DeKoning, 1974; Cartwright et al., 1976; Tiller, 1992). There is pressure on the utilization of contaminated areas in the urban environment. Similarly, with increasing industrialization, it is important to determine the possible environmental threats posed by contaminants. Soil decontamination processes are often very expensive but may be suitable for high commercial value sites.
