ABSTRACT
Anthropogenic cyanide has long been released to the environment through industrial effluent discharges (e.g., chemical manufacturing, coke plants, gold mining, gas plants, and electroplating effluents) and unregulated disposal of contaminated solid wastes (e.g., aluminum manufacturing spent pot liner, and manufactured gas plants wastes). The latter practice has resulted in contaminated groundwater and soil. Today in the United States, environmental regulations have essentially curbed all uncontrolled discharge practices with industry applying, for the most part, best management practices and best available treatment technologies for the treatment of their wastes. Some areas of earlier waste disposal practice remain problematic (e.g., former gas plant spent oxide box waste and aluminum smelting spent pot liner disposal sites).
