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ERDC/CRREL TR-02-1
lem when dispersed over a wetland environment, since it has a long residence
time in water and is very toxic to waterfowl (Racine et al. 1992). The character-
ization of primary explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics will not be covered
in this guide. Guidance for characterization of propellant contamination will be
addressed when future R&D work has identified appropriate sampling and
analysis methods for these particular compounds.
This guidance document is targeted at the characterization of secondary
explosive compounds in soil and groundwater, because they represent the major
environmental threat. Pertinent information related to safe and effective sampling
specific to explosive compounds such as TNT, RDX, and HMX have been
assembled in this document. TNT and RDX constitute the largest quantity of
secondary explosives used in military applications, because they are major ingre-
dients in nearly every munition formulation (Walsh et al. 1995). Several other
organic chemical explosives have also been used in specific munition formula-
tions, including 2,4-DNT, HMX, tetryl, and trinitrobenzene (TNB). While some
of these chemicals, such as tetryl, are no longer used in current munitions, resi-
dues from their manufacture and use remain at contaminated sites. In addition to
the chemicals added to explosive formulations, residues from munitions often
contain other compounds such as production impurities or decomposition by-
products. For example, military-grade TNT often contains a number of impuri-
ties, including 2,4-DNT and other isomers of dinitrotoluene and trinitrotoluene
(Leggett at al. 1977). In addition, TNT is highly subject to photo and microbial
degradation from which a variety of transformation products have been identified
(Walsh et al. 1995). The major impurity in production-grade RDX is HMX,
which can be present at concentrations as high as 12% (U.S. Department of the
Army 1994). The characterization procedure must address all these co-
contaminants and take into account the sensitive nature of these compounds
toward biotic and abiotic transformations.
This document represents a guide for any environmental officer or site owner
who plans to test sites that are potentially contaminated by explosives. It can also
serve as a reference for contractors who plan to carry out the site characteriza-
tion. It will attempt to describe all aspects related to sampling, extraction, analy-
sis, environmental outcomes, and occupational health and safety when character-
izing these particular sites. Lastly, this document can be viewed as a literature
survey because it contains numerous citations.
Range Types Classification
Activities such as production, firing exercises, demolition procedures, and
the destruction of out-of-date or faulty ammunition lead to the possible disper-
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