Environmental risk assessment of white phosphorus from the use of munitions — A probabilistic approach

Voie, Øyvind Albert; Johnsen, Arnt; Strømseng, Arnljot; Longva, Kjetil Sager

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2010.01.002

Cited by 22 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The two cases in the UK were novel at the time and extensive follow-up studies were not conducted. In Norway, the death of the muskox led to further studies by FFI to assess the environmental risk associated with training with WP and possible avoidance of WP contaminated water by sheep [34,35]. A contingent of interested parties from Norway also visited the Eagle River Flats remediation project in Alaska to assess the difficulties in addressing WP contamination in the environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Presence and Persistence of White Phosphorus On Military Training Ranges

Walsh

Voie

2014

Propellants Explo Pyrotec

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The use of obscurants is a common practice by militaries worldwide. One of the most effective of these is white phosphorus (WP). WP is the elemental form of phosphorus that does not occur in nature and is highly toxic. The use of WP rounds on training ranges has led to a number of die‐offs of grazing land animals and dabbling waterfowl, the first recorded in 1930. In the 1980s, thousands of waterfowl were dying annually at an impact range in Alaska, leading to the first large‐scale investigation of WP as a lethal range contaminant. Tests were conducted at an upland impact range in New York to determine the quantity and persistence of WP in a typical environment. At all sites cited in this paper, WP was persistent for months to years following the detonation of WP munitions. At the Eagle River Flats range in AK, WP was identified from rounds fired in the 1950s, persisting over 45 years in a non‐saturated environment. In New York, dispersal of gram quantities of WP occurred at detonation, and high concentrations of WP were found in the detonation craters a year after firing. Caution needs to be exercised when using white phosphorus munitions on ranges.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Presence and Persistence of White Phosphorus On Military Training Ranges

Walsh

Voie

2014

Propellants Explo Pyrotec

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“…When 22 US army facilities were tested, 45 % had soil samples that tested positive for white phosphorus (Walsh et al 2014a). White phosphorus is also a highly toxic chemical that is persistent and responsible for domestic stock and wildlife deaths on military ranges such as has been reported in Alaska (Livingstone 1991;Voie et al 2010;Walsh et al 2014a;.…”

Section: Chemical Contamination In Military Rangesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Remediation of inorganic and organic contaminants in military ranges

Fayiga¹

2019

Environ. Chem.

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Environmental contextContaminants occur in the soil and water associated with military ranges. This review article describes how the extent of contamination depends not only on the type of military range and its period of activity, but also on the chemistry of both the soil and the contaminant. A full understanding of the soil chemistry is necessary to develop effective remediation methods for the restoration of these impacted environments. AbstractThis review discusses the contaminants associated with military ranges and the approaches taken to remediate these sites. The type and extent of contamination depends on the type of range, period of activity, soil chemistry and contaminant chemistry. Small arms firing ranges typically have high concentrations of metals and metalloids whereas military ranges typically have high concentrations of perchlorates, white phosphorus, explosives and propellants. For explosives, higher concentrations are found in sites that have undergone a low order detonation than in sites with a high order detonation. Remediation technologies for small arms firing ranges include leaching and immobilisation whereas for military ranges, methods such as alkaline hydrolysis, photolysis, bioremediation and phytoremediation have been tested. A lot of work has been done to immobilise metals/metalloids using soil amendments, which show a high effectiveness in stabilising them. Some of these amendments, however, also mobilise other co-contaminants. More studies are needed to simultaneously immobilise all inorganic contaminants. Explosives can be transformed into simpler non-toxic forms by photolysis, bioremediation or phytodegradation. The introduction of bacteria transgenes into plants has been used to enhance uptake and degradation of explosives in transgenic plants. Adoption of appropriate remediation technologies in impacted military ranges will reduce contaminant levels and protect public health.

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“…Frequently used initiators are lead azide, lead styphnate, and mercury fulminate. Furthermore, white phosphorus is used in smoke grenades and is very toxic to both humans and animals [12,13].T he most widely used explosives in the main charge are TNT, RDX, and HMX. The high explosives in the main charges are often made in differentm ixtures and combinations.…”

Section: C Ompounds In Dumped Munitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Assessment of Sea Dumped Conventional Munitions

Voie

Mariussen

2016

Propellants Explo Pyrotec

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Energetic compounds from dumped ammunition are toxic to aquatic organisms. Leakage of ammunition residues will occur when the bombshells are broken and the energetic compounds come into contact with water. The munitions compounds have a complex behavior in the environment, particularly in the sediment‐water phase, and the calculation of safety levels are dependent on choice of methodology. Estimated sediment quality benchmark levels combined with multi‐increment sampling strategy provide the most proper tool for performing ecological risk assessment at a dump site. Dumped munitions may be located in areas, where shellfish, invertebrates, and benthic or pelagic fish are consumed by humans. A monitoring program for early warning of potential contaminants in the vicinity of fish farms could be conducted by passive samplers for explosives. Further development of both sample procedures and analytical methods to increase the quality of the chemical analyses are encouraged.

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Environmental risk assessment of white phosphorus from the use of munitions — A probabilistic approach

Cited by 22 publications

References 24 publications

Presence and Persistence of White Phosphorus On Military Training Ranges

Presence and Persistence of White Phosphorus On Military Training Ranges

Remediation of inorganic and organic contaminants in military ranges

Risk Assessment of Sea Dumped Conventional Munitions

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