Carnegie Mellon University
Browse

Toxic Legacy: The Environmental Impact of the Manufactured Gas Industry in the United States

Download (421.09 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2014-01-01, 00:00 authored by Joel TarrJoel Tarr

The manufactured gas industry provided cities in the United States with energy for light and power during much of the period from approximately 1850 to 1950. This article explores the history of the effects of this industry on air, land, and water environments; it also examines attempts by the courts and municipal and state governments to regulate gas-waste pollution and the industry’s response. The article concludes by exploring the heritage of badly contaminated sites that the manufactured gas industry left to the nation after it was replaced by natural gas after World War II.

History

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2014 The Johns Hopkins University Press. The version of record is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/tech.2014.0008

Date

2014-01-01

Usage metrics

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC