Rusted can of Zyklon B poison gas unearthed in German garden; unlikely from Nazi era

Firefighters carry plastic bags in a garden in Preetz near Kiel, northern Germany, Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 24, 2015. Workers clearing a small garden property in northern Germany got a shock when they unearthed a rusted can labeled “Zyklon B” _ the deadly poison gas used by the Nazis in the death chambers of Auschwitz and other camps. Emergency crews were able to determine the can was empty, but still sealed it and removed it as a precaution. (AP Photo/dpa, Daniel Friederichs) (The Associated Press)

BERLIN – Workers clearing a small garden in northern Germany got a shock when they unearthed a rusted can labeled "Zyklon B" — the deadly poison gas used by the Nazis in the death chambers of Auschwitz and other camps.

Oliver Pohl, a spokesman for police in Kiel, said Wednesday the 150ml-200ml (5oz-7oz) can was unearthed during work Tuesday in the nearby town of Preetz.

Emergency crews determined the can was empty, but still sealed and removed it as a precaution.

Pohl says even though Zyklon B achieved its notoriety through its use in the Holocaust, it was developed in the 1920s as a pesticide. It is known to have been used long ago as a pesticide in the Preetz garden and the can likely pre-dates the Nazi era.