ABSTRACT
Literally, thousands of historic technical books and hundreds of thousands of individual papers have been published on all aspects of manufactured gas and coal carbonization. Today, this literature is augmented by a growing list of papers reporting on the factual, speciŽc fate and transport nature of their residuals, as today’s unwanted wastes and as observed in the environment. Only the most astute site sleuthing, combined with a detailed technical and operational chronology of a former manufactured gas plant (FMGP), can lead to an accurate site and waste characterization as the basis for cost-effective remedial design and construction, as well as an environmentally appropriate cleanup. Foremost in dealing with these threats is the need to gain an understanding of the “how” and “circumstance” of the creation and historic handling of the toxic residuals and wastes. Diligence in research is necessary to fully appreciate the dangerous pathways to human receptors and to the environment, represented by vapor emissions and waterborne gasworks toxics.
