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A series of laboratory and field investigations establish that the phytoremediation of cyanide wastes in soil is a feasible option and should be considered for cleanup of abandoned gasworks. Cyanide laced soils are a worldwide problem. During the 19th and the 20th century, gas manufacturing works in towns and cities provided street and home lighting. Cyanide waste was a typical by-product and frequently dumped near the production facilities. The contaminated soils contain some easily liberatable cyanide, which can be deadly, but mostly complexed cyanide that is far less toxic to animals and plants. Trees, all of which naturally produce cyanide, seem ideal to take up and mineralize cyanide to benign products and to reduce or prevent infiltration of cyanide to groundwater during cleanup. A risk assessment and preliminary results at the former Holte gasworks in Denmark demonstrate that even secondary uses for recreation are safe during remediation.