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At an old steel site in Pittsburgh, bacteria evolved to survive – and eat – industrial pollution

<name>Catherine Armbruster, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University</name> <foaf:homepage rdf:resource="https://theconversation.com/profiles/catherine-armbruster-2751123"/>· 17 septembre 2026

The author works on gathering soil samples in a field near Mill 19 in Hazelwood. Kevin Lorenzi/Mellon College of Science via Carnegie Mellon University Across Appalachia and the Rust Belt region, including throughout the city of Pittsburgh , former industrial sites are being transformed into new ne…

Résumé

Pittsburgh’s industrial past

Pittsburgh, once known as the Steel City, was a major industrial hub in the 19th and 20th centuries, powered by steel mills and coal-fired furnaces.

These industries left behind a significant environmental legacy, including soil contaminated with toxic chemicals such as petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals.

One such site is Hazelwood Green, a 178-acre former industrial area along the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh.

For over a century, it housed steelmaking operations like the Jones & Laughlin Steel Co., employing thousands of workers.

Today, Hazelwood Green is being transformed into a research and technology hub, but its soil remains contaminated with pollutants like benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene—a group collectively called BTEX.

These chemicals are toxic to humans and some are known carcinogens.

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