Warship wrecks and their munition cargos as a threat to the marine environment and humans: The V 1302 “JOHN MAHN” from World War II

Maser, Edmund; Bünning, Tobias Hartwig; Brenner, Matthias; Haelst, Sven Van; Rijcke, Maarten De; Müller, Patrick; Wichert, Uwe; Strehse, Jennifer S.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159324

Cited by 10 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…As a result, 1.6 million metric tons of munitions was estimated to be dumped in the German parts of the North Sea, as well as 300,000 tons in the Baltic Sea [ 21 ]. In addition, sunken war ships armed with ammunition or wrecks with munitions cargo onboard are also a major source of munitions compounds in oceanic environments [ 19 ], as around 10,000 shipwrecks are present in the North Sea region alone, some 500 of them loaded with ammunition [ 22 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Numerous studies have measured munitions compounds like 2,4,6-TNT, 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane (RDX), octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX), and others in seawater, sediments, and marine organisms (reviewed in [ 17 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]). Rosen et al [ 27 ] investigated underwater concentrations of energetics such as TNT and RDX at the former Vieques Naval Training Range at Bahia Salina del Sur (Vieques, Puerto Rico, USA), a bay with documented high incidence of munitions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent approaches, novel and highly-sensitive analytical methods have been developed to allow detection of munitions compounds in the ng per liter or ng per kg range in sea water and sediment, respectively, and in the pg per g range in marine biota [ 11 , 17 , 22 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Dissolved munitions compounds were detectable in nearly all water column samples collected throughout the German Baltic Sea during the UDEMM project [ 28 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Otter¹,

Pröfrock

Bünning³

et al. 2023

Toxics

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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.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Otter¹,

Pröfrock

Bünning³

et al. 2023

Toxics

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“…Bile from randomly caught dab (Limanda limanda L., from the Baltic Sea) contained 4-ADNT in significantly higher concentrations than 2-ADNT and TNT [24]. Recently, TNT and its metabolites 2-and 4-ADNT, as well as 1,3-DNB, have been found in fillets of pouting (Trisopterus luscus) living at the wreck site of a sunken Second World War ship in the North Sea [7].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Enormous quantities of UXOs and dumped munition materials can be present in these hotspots, whereas other parts of the world's oceans may not be polluted. For instance, it is estimated that, during the Second World War, over 7800 ships and vessels sunk worldwide, many of them loaded with ammunition or other kinds of military munitions [7,8]. Furthermore, hotspots were "created" by the dumping of relic munition materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Strehse¹,

Bünning²,

Koschorreck

et al. 2023

Toxics

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Submerged munitions are present in marine waters across the globe. They contain energetic compounds (ECs), such as TNT and metabolites thereof, which are considered carcinogenic, exhibit toxic effects in marine organisms, and may affect human health. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of ECs and their trends in blue mussels from the annual collections of the German Environmental Specimen Bank sampled over the last 30 years at three different locations along the coastline of the Baltic and North Sea. Samples were analyzed by GC-MS/MS for 1,3-dinitrobenzene (1,3-DNB), 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT), 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-ADNT), and 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4-ADNT). The first signals indicating trace levels of 1,3-DNB were observed in samples from 1999 and 2000. ECs were also found below the limit of detection (LoD) in subsequent years. From 2012 onwards, signals just above the LoD were detected. The highest signal intensities of 2-ADNT and 4-ADNT, just below the LoQ (0.14 ng/g d.w. and 0.17 ng/g d.w., respectively), were measured in 2019 and 2020. This study clearly shows that corroding submerged munitions are gradually releasing ECs into the waters that can be detected in randomly sampled blue mussels, even though the concentrations measured are still in the non-quantifiable trace range.

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Environmental and human toxicology studies on explosive chemicals leaking from submerged munitions

Maser,

Hartwig Bünning,

Strehse

2023

Propellants Explo Pyrotec

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This review provides an overview of 15 years of munitions research by the Institute of Toxicology and Pharmacology for Natural Scientists, University Medical School Schleswig‐Holstein, Kiel, Germany. As early as 2009, it was possible to detect the TNT metabolite 4‐ADNT in a quantity of 250 ng/g (wet weight) in blue mussels collected directly on munition items in the Kolberger Heide dumping area (Bight of Kiel, Baltic Sea, Germany). Based on these results, biomonitoring with blue mussels was established, in which uncontaminated mussels were exposed at certain distances from munition items and then retrieved after a few weeks in order to then be analyzed in the laboratory for energetic compounds (EC) including TNT and metabolites thereof. In following studies – in addition to mussels – also fish, sediments, water samples and passive samplers from specific locations were examined for the presence of EC. The study areas included dumping site regions from both the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, and were then extended to appropriate shipwrecks in the North Sea. The field studies were completed with laboratory investigations, which dealt with the development of a molecular biomarker as a kind of “early warning system” and with aspects of microbial degradation of EC. Finally, risk assessments for the marine environment and the human seafood consumer were carried out. The sections below are based on results from more than 10 scientific research projects and more than 20 publications in primary international research journals.

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Warship wrecks and their munition cargos as a threat to the marine environment and humans: The V 1302 “JOHN MAHN” from World War II

Cited by 10 publications

References 49 publications

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

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

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

Environmental and human toxicology studies on explosive chemicals leaking from submerged munitions

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