Release of Ammunition-Related Compounds from a Dutch Marine Dump Site

Abstract

After World War II, large amounts of ammunition were dumped in surface waters worldwide, potentially releasing harmful and toxic compounds to the environment. To study their degradation, ammunition items dumped in the Eastern Scheldt in The Netherlands were surfaced. Severe damage due to corrosion and leak paths through the casings were observed, making the explosives in the ammunition accessible to sea water. Using novel techniques, the concentrations of ammunition-related compounds in the surrounding seabed and in the seawater were analyzed at 15 different locations. In the direct vicinity of ammunition, elevated concentrations of ammunition-related compounds (both metals and organic substances) were found. Concentrations of energetic compounds ranged from below the limit of detection (LoD) up to the low two-digit ng/L range in water samples, and from below the LoD up to the one-digit ng/g dry weight range in sediment samples. Concentrations of metals were found up to the low microgram/L range in water and up the low ng/g dry weight in sediment. However, even though the water and sediment samples were collected as close to the ammunition items as possible, the concentrations of these compounds were low and, as far as available, no quality standards or limits were exceeded. The presence of fouling, the low solubility of the energetic compounds, and dilution by the high local water current were concluded to be the main causes for the absence of high concentrations of ammunition-related compounds. As a conclusion, these new analytical methods should be applied to continuously monitor the Eastern Scheldt munitions dump site.

Long-Term Trends for Blue Mussels from the German Environmental Specimen Bank Show First Evidence of Munition Contaminants Uptake

“…Nevertheless, munition chemicals are widespread in the Baltic Sea and make it challenging to link specific TNT sources to the presence of TNT in any biota. Although the conclusion that increasing corrosion can be expected to result in increasing concentrations of energetic compounds in the water column should not be disputed, a study by den Otter et al [11] reported unexpectedly low water column contamination despite the advanced state of corrosion of the underwater munitions at their study site.…”

“…A number of studies in recent years have shown that the metal casings of explosive remnants of war exposed to seawater corrode over time (e.g., [9][10][11]) and release toxic energetic compounds into the surrounding water body. The corrosion rate of dumped munitions is difficult to estimate and dependent on environmental factors, such as salinity, water temperature, and current.…”

“…The development of monitoring and detection methods is of high relevance for the enhancement of the localization and mapping of munitions on the seafloor, especially since the exact locations of large amounts of munitions remain unknown. A continuous biomonitoring program has been carried out for the last two decades by the Netherlands' Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) in dumping sites in the Netherlands in the Eastern Scheldt near Zierikzee and in the Wadden Sea (North Sea) [11]. In addition to active biomonitoring using mussels (Mytilus edulis), sediment and water samples are routinely analyzed to infer deviations in the marine species composition or possible risks to human health due to contaminations with energetic compounds.…”