53.4 g/kg. The ratio of TNT to either 4-
Table 5. Explosives in soils from Fort Richardson hand grenade
range (g kg-1).1
ADNT or 2-ADNT was generally higher
in the surface than at the 10-cm depth,
Location2
probably because the soil remained wetter
From
From
at depth, thereby creating a condition more
Sample
reference
launch
Depth
favorable to biotransformation. It is prob-
number
(m)
(m)
(cm)
RDX
TNT 4ADNT HMX
able, though, that detonations in the sandy
t3
1
27
7
78.5
56.1
26.3
soil in this range mix the soil profile to
<14
2
27
7
15
19.8
t
t
some extent. Thus one 10-cm-depth sam-
3
27
7
30
10.8
t
t
t
4
27
7
45
4.3
t
<1.5
t
ple had concentrations of RDX and TNT
5
27
8
14.9
2.9
2.1
t
of 7,390 and 2,060 g/kg, respectively.
6
27
8
15
24.1
<1
<1.5
t
For the surface samples collected in the
7
27
8
30
5.2
<1
<1.5
<25
8
27
8
45
4.3
<1
<1.5
<25
wheel pattern, 20 m from the launching
9
33
1
518
52.0
4.1
36.9
area, RDX concentrations ranged from 424
10
33
1
15
193
3.4
1.9
t
to 28,000 g/kg. A chromatogram of the
11
33
1
30
3.1
<1
<1.5
<25
extract from the center sample of the
12
33
1
45
42.1
2.7
<1.5
<25
13
32
10
11.8
1.5
4.1
t
wheel, analyzed on the RTX-5 column, is
14
32
10
15
4.2
<1
<1.5
<25
presented in Figure 7. Likewise, TNT con-
15
32
10
30
8.0
<1
<1.5
<25
centrations ranged from 126 to 40,600 g/
16
2
10
45
t
<1
<1.5
<25
kg and HMX from 455 to 3,900 g/kg.
17
Wheel center
35
106
50.2
43.6
t
18
Wheel
61.2
9.7
12.8
t
Thus, as found elsewhere (Jenkins et al.
19
Wheel
18.1
5.9
9.4
t
1997, 1998), explosives concentrations in
20
Wheel
49.5
20.4
17.3
t
surface soils are spatially very heteroge-
21
Wheel
22.1
6.7
8.2
t
neous within this range, even over short
22
Wheel
12.0
3.9
6.9
t
23
Wheel
46.5
27.0
12.4
t
distances, and it would be impossible to
Wheel center5
24
35
15
t
<1
<1.5
<25
obtain representative samples for estab-
Wheel center5
25
35
30
8.3
<1
<1.5
<25
lishing a mean concentration using discrete
Wheel center5
26
35
4
39.3
11.2
17.9
t
soil samples.
27
32
12
4.6
2.5
2.1
<25
28
32
12
15
8.6
<1
<1.5
<25
Results from the analysis of a hand gre-
29
32
12
30
4.8
<1
<1.5
<25
nade casing remaining after a low-order
30
32
12
45
4.3
<d
<1.5
<25
detonation revealed the presence of resid-
31
30
15
15.5
8.2
11.7
t
32
30
15
15
15.0
<1
<1.5
t
ual Composition B. The ratio of RDX to
33
30
15
30
t
<1
<1.5
<25
HMX in this Composition B removed from
34
30
15
45
4.3
<1
<1.5
<25
the casing was 7.61. The ratios of RDX to
35
35
1
115
42.8
5.3
66.6
HMX from analysis of individual soil sam-
36
35
2
1.7
t
<1.5
<25
37
35
3
152
19.9
8.3
t
ples varied tremendously, but the ratio
38
35
4
156
29.9
10.6
27.4
obtained using the median values for the
39
35
5
102
93.9
48.8
56.4
RDX and HMX was 2.14 for the surface
40
35
6
31.9
28.7
20.2
30.
soil and 3.65 for soil collected at the 10-
41
35
7
16.5
9.3
9.2
t
42
35
8
51.0
7.2
10.1
t
cm depth. We interpret these reduced ratios
43
35
9
15.6
70.6
11.6
t
to indicate that RDX has preferentially
44
35
11
19.7
6.8
7.3
56.9
leached deeper in the soil profile because
45
35
12
28.9
6.8
10.6
80.4
of a higher thermodynamic solubility, as
46
35
13
21.6
8.5
9.0
t
47
35
14
26.1
13.8
14.5
t
well as a faster rate of dissolution, thereby
48
35
15
374
134
47.5
t
leaving a lower RDX/HMX ratio in near-
1
Values are for surface soils except where noted. The following undetected
surface soils than was present in the Com-
analytes were excluded from the table: nitrobenzene, o-nitrotoluene, m-
position B.
nitrotoluene, p-nitrotoluene, nitroglycerin, 1,3-dinitrobenzene, 2,6-dinitro-
Results from the analysis of soil sam-
toluene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, PETN, 3,5-dinitroaniline,
ples from the Fort Richardson hand gren-
tetryl.
2
Locations give distances from reference wall followed by distance from
ade range are presented in Table 5. Detect-
launch in meters. Depth in cm is also given for samples not taken from the
able concentrations of RDX, TNT,
surface.
4-ADNT, and 2-ADNT were found in most
3
Values are trace below the mean detection limit.
4
Less than detection limits.
surface samples. Diagrams for RDX and
5
Subsurface samples.
TNT are presented in Figures 11 and 12.
14
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