The pile, which later would be known as Debris Pile E, contained some rotting timber and several 55-gallon barrels in various stages of decay, one of them oozing a dark, thick material onto the ground. There were some corrugated cardboard containers with plastic linings used for packing chemicals, pieces of rusted sheet metal, several pesticide containers, and a pair of discarded gloves, a leather boot, a long-handled brush, and a collection of beer cans. The earth was darkly stained, and a sickly, nauseating chemical odor pervaded the air.

Jonathan Harr, A Civil Action, loc. 387