[1][2] The Finnish State Railways first used the site to dispose of its used cross ties, sinking them into the local marsh.
[1][2][4] Later a sorting station for the Finnish Postal Service as well as a depot for Pohjolan Liikenne was built in the western fringes of the area.
[1][2] Despite the city's estimates that the area will not give rise to significant costs, a scientist who studied the topic has stated:[5] Of the [old 28] dumping grounds, Pasila is the most problematic, and the biggest concentrations of hazardous chemicals have been measured there.
In monitoring the waters inside the former dump, the concentrations of several hazardous chemicals have exceeded the requirements established for drinking water.Even though the dumping ground has officially not existed for decades the site still contained wrecked cars in 2006 when photos of the site were posted to the internet.
The waters of this area, now known as Pohjois-Pasila flow down the Kumpulanpuro brook into Kumpula and into the sea in Vanhankaupunginselkä Bay.
Occasionally contaminated water will overflow into nearby areas such as the Vallila allotment garden, causing problems.