Before the introduction of natural gas pipelines, every major town and city, as well as many hospitals, schools and railroad yards made their own gas from coal. Most of these manufacturers were very dirty environmentally. The Natick plants were on Middlesex Ave. The wastes were universally disposed of onsite in ash pits or in streams. Today these PAH wastes are often incorrectly thought to come from diesel fuel or asphalt.
Diesel fuels are almost always free of PAHs.
The utility had purchased the plant in 1912. Site cleanup activities in 1987 caused the exposure named in the suit. Several trolley lines crisscrossed Natick, both North to South and East to West. The Middlesex Street Railway Company's two trolley barns were situated near the intersection of East Central and Union St. Trolleys, including their old copper windings, were burned and dumped to the west of the present-day elementary school.