A team at the Army Corp's Cold Regions Research and Engineering
Laboratory has produced another important study of explosive residues
from military training:
Identity and Distribution of Residues of Energetic Compounds at Military
Live-Fire Training Ranges (1.8 Mb)
Thomas F. Jenkins, Sonia Thiboutot, Guy Ampleman, Alan D. Hewitt,
Marianne E. Walsh, Thomas A. Ranney, Charles A. Ramsey, Clarence L.
Grant, Charles M. Collins, Sylvie Brochu, Susan R. Bigl, and Judith C.
Pennington
ERDC Technical Report 05-10
Abstract
Environmental stewardship of military training ranges is an important
objective of the Department of Defense. Therefore, an understanding of
the explosives residues resulting from military training with various
weapon systems is critical to range managers. A series of field sampling
experiments was conducted at 27 military firing ranges in the United
States and Canada to provide information on the identity and
distribution of energetic munitions constituents. Different types of
ranges were studied, including hand grenade, antitank rocket, artillery,
bombing, and demolition ranges. Both firing points and impact areas were
studied. Energetic compounds (explosives and propellants) were
determined and linked to the type of munition used and the major
mechanisms of deposition. At impact areas, the largest deposition of
residues of energetic compounds is due to low-order detonations, or, in
some cases, munitions that split open upon impact. The major residue
deposited and its distribution varies for different types of ranges
based upon the composition of the high explosive present in the warheads
of the rounds fired at that type of range. For antitank range impact
areas, the major residue present is HMX from the octol explosive used in
the M72 66-mm LAW rockets. At artillery range impact areas, the major
residues are TNT and/or RDX from the military-grade TNT and Composition
B used in warheads of artillery and mortar rounds. Residues are very
heterogeneously distributed at artillery range impact areas and can be
described as randomly distributed point sources. RDX and TNT are the
major residues at hand grenade ranges and their distribution is less
heterogeneous due to the large number of individual detonations in a
smaller area that further disperses the residues over the surface and at
shallow depths. TNT is the major energetic compound detected at bombing
ranges due to its presence in tritonal, the most common explosive used
in bombs. RDX is the most common energetic compound at demolition ranges
due to its presence as the major component of C4 demolition explosive.
NG and 2,4-DNT are also frequently detected at demolition ranges as a
result of the disposal of excess propellant. Once dissolved, RDX and HMX
are the most mobile of the organic energetic compounds deposited on
ranges, both vertically in the soil profile and horizontally across the
surface. Results of these studies demonstrate that the potential for
range contamination is specific to range activities. Large areas of
training ranges are uncontaminated, while residues in smaller areas,
e.g., those around targets, firing points, and low-order detonations,
are potentially significant. Range managers can, therefore, limit
management practices for residue control to specific areas and specific
types of firing activities.
Subject terms 2,4-DNT, Antitank ranges, Artillery ranges, Bombing
ranges, Demolition ranges, Energetic compounds, Explosives, Firing
points, Hand grenade ranges, HMX, Impact areas, Live fire,
Nitroglycerin, Propellants, RDX, TNT, Training ranges
To download the entire report, go to
http://www.crrel.usace.army.mil/techpub/CRREL_Reports/html_files/Cat_X.html
--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org
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