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The following is an excerpt from an analysis report covering manganese and it"s uses. The summary on this material is not good and it should be disposed of properly. Why the railroad would have this alloy around is uncertain but it sounds like it is bordering on hazardous in solid from. Gaseous state is really bad stuff. Lots of lawyers" websites out ther offering to help you if you suffer from welding ailments related to manganese. Excerpt as follows: 3.2.1 Uses Over 90% of the manganese produced in the world is used in the making of steel, either as ferromanganese, silicomanganese, or spiegeleisen. Manganese is also used in the production of nonferrous alloys, such as manganese bronze, for machinery requiring high strength and resistance to sea water, and in alloys with copper, nickel, or both in the electrical industry. In dry-cell batteries, manganese is used in the form of manganese dioxide, which is also used as an oxidizing agent in the chemical industry. Many manganese chemicals, eg., potassium permanganate, manganese(II) sulfate, manganese dichloride, and manganese dioxide are used in fertilizers, animal feeds, pharmaceutical products, dyes, paint dryers, catalysts, wood preservatives and, in small quantities, in glass and ceramics. Some of these uses contribute to environmental pollution. 3.2.2 Contamination by waste disposal The disposal of liquid and solid waste products containing manganese may contribute to the contamination of land, water courses, and soil. For example, sludges and various waste waters containing manganese are used in the production of micronutrient fertilizers (Eliseeva, 1973) and manganese slurries have been used in the production of clay blocks for road construction. Information concerning the degree of pollution arising from the incineration of refuse containing manganese is not available
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