Review Article

Distribution and Fate of Military Explosives and Propellants in Soil: A Review

Table 3

Selected US and Canadian facilities contaminated with energetic compounds.

SiteState or province, countryEnergetics detectedCommentsRef.

Cold Lake Air Weapons RangeAlberta, CanadaTNT: 0.12–778 mg/kg; 31.8 mg/kg (mean)Soil near low-order 2000 lb bomb crater.[18]
 Delta TowerAlberta, CanadaNG: 227 mg/kg (max.)Soil.[18]
 Old antitank rangeAlberta, CanadaNG: 256 mg/kg (mean); 950 mg/kg (max.)Soil, impact range.[18]
 Area 8 firing pointAlberta, CanadaNG: 1500 mg/kgSoil, 10 m behind active firing point.[18]
 Demolition rangeAlberta, CanadaRDX: 11.4 mg/kg (mean)
HMX: 1.8 mg/kg (mean)
Soil.[18]
CFB Gagetown Training AreaNew Brunswick, Canada2,4-DNT: 491 mg/kg
NG: trace
Soil, burn pads.[18]
 Antitank rangeNew Brunswick, CanadaTNT: 4 mg/kg
RDX: <1 mg/kg
HMX: 680 mg/kg
Soil, impact area of antitank range.[3]
 Antitank rangeNew Brunswick, CanadaNG: 4700 mg/kg (in front)
2320 mg/kg (behind)
Soil in front of firing line at antitank range.
Soil behind firing line at antitank range.
[3]
New Brunswick, CanadaNG: 6560 mg/kgSoil 2 m behind firing line at antitank range.[65]
 CraterNew Brunswick, CanadaTNT: 42,200 mg/kgSoil within a crater from a low-order 500 lb bomb.[66]
 Crater, bomb dropNew Brunswick, CanadaTNT: 3720 mg/kgSoil 2 m from crater.[3]
CFB PetawawaOntario, CanadaTNT: 73 mg/kg
RDX: 0.32 mg/kg
HMX: 745 mg/kg
NG: 145 mg/kg (max.)
2,4-DNT: 53 mg/kg (max.)
Soil at antitank range. [3]
Ontario, CanadaNG: 2240 mg/kg (max.)Soil at antitank range.[18]
 CFB Petawawa, Hotel TowerOntario, CanadaRDX: 2.4 mg/kg (mean)
HMX: 47 mg/kg (mean)
NG: 44 mg/kg (mean)
2,6-DNT: 5.1 mg/kg (mean)
Soil at firing point. [18]
 CFB ValcartierQuebec, CanadaTNT: 24 mg/kg
RDX: 4.6 mg/kg
HMX: 803 mg/kg
Soil at antitank range.[18]
WATC WainwrightBritish Columbia, CanadaTNT: 126 mg/kg
RDX: 5.3 mg/kg
HMX: 987 mg/kg
Soil. [3]
WATC WainwrightBritish Columbia, CanadaTNT: 14 mg/kg (max.)
RDX: 13.4 mg/kg (max.)
HMX: 0.6 mg/kg (max.)
NG: 2.7 mg/kg (max.)
Soil at demolition range #14. [18]
British Columbia, CanadaHMX: 3,700 mg/kg (max.).Soil. [67]
 Small arms firing rangeBritish Columbia, CanadaNG: <1–52 mg/kgSoil.[18]
 Antitank targetsBritish Columbia, CanadaTNT: 390 mg/kg (max.)Soil. [18]
HMX: 1616 mg/kg (max.)
NG: 4,453 mg/kg (max.)
Donnelly Training AreaAKTNT: 314 mg/kg
RDX: 1.4 mg/kg
Soil, Delta Creek Impact Area. [68]
Fort GreelyAKHMX: 0.11 mg/kg
TNT: 0.06 mg/kg
RDX: 0.9 mg/kg
HMX: 0.22 mg/kg
Soil beneath 81 mm projectile, low-order detonation.[68]
AKTNT: 130 mg/kg
RDX: 340 mg/kg
HMX: 40 mg/kg
Soil beneath 2.75 inch rocket, low-order detonation. [68]
AKNG: <0.01 mg/kg
2,4-DNT: 4.3 mg/kg
Soil at artillery firing point. [3]
Redstone ArsenalALPerchlorate, 160 mg/LGroundwater.[69]
Redstone Army Garrison/Marshall Space Flight CenterALRDX 1.2  g/LGroundwater. Still active, leased to NASA.[70]
Edwards Air Force BaseCAPerchlorate, 160 mg/LGroundwater.[69]
Fort OrdCARDX: 0.5 mg/kg
HMX: 587 mg/kg
2,6-DNT: 0.9 mg/kg
Soil.[71]
Naval Air Weapons Station, China LakeCAPerchlorate: 560 ug/LGroundwater.[69]
Fort CarsonCONG: 9.5–13.6 mg/kg
2,4-DNT: 0.06-0.27 mg/kg
Soil.[72]
Elgin Air Force BaseFLRDX: 8.84 mg/kg
HMX: 0.54 mg/kg
Soil at demolition range.[4]
PohakuloaHITNT: 9.2 mg/kg
RDX: 45.6 mg/kg
HMX: 7.1 mg/kg
NG: 1.2 mg/kg
Soil at demolition range.[3]
Schofield BarracksHITNT: 36 mg/kg
RDX: 51 mg/kg
HMX: 9.1 mg/kg
Soil at hand grenade range.[3]
HING: 1400 mg/kgSoil at artillery range, 0–10 m behind firing point.[2, 73]
Fort PolkLATNT: 1.2 mg/kg
RDX: 16 mg/kg
HMX: 15 mg/kg
Soil.[74]
Camp Edwards, MMRMATNT: <1–15 mg/kg; 1.6 mg/kg (mean)
NG: <1–150 mg/kg; 28.6 mg/kg (mean)
Perchlorate: <1–351 mg/kg; 9.6 mg/kg (mean)
Soil.[18]
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian HeadMDPerchlorate, 1,000 ug/LSurface water.[69]
Weldon Spring Ordnance WorksMOTNT: 63,621 mg/kg
2,4-DNT: 160 mg/kg
2,6-DNT: 8.1 mg/kg
Soil at two sites. Includes 16 former TNT and DNT production lines. One dump, six burning grounds, three wastewater lagoons.[75, 76]
Fort BlissNMNG: 0–0.97 mg/kgSoil.[77]
NMTNT: 0.69 mg/kg
RDX: 2.1 mg/kg
HMX: 3.1 mg/kg
Soil 2 m from target. [18]
NMTNT: 2520 mg/kgSoil beneath low-order 155 mm round.[78]
NMTNT: 1110 mg/kg
RDX: 678 mg/kg
HMX: 149 mg/kg
Soil beneath a 90 mm round. [78]
Holloman Air Force BaseNMTNT: 60 mg/kgSoil within low-order bomb crater.[3]
NMRDX: 11.4 mg/kg
HMX: 1.84 mg/kg
Soil at demolition range.[3]
Holloman Air Force BaseNMPerchlorate 16 mg/LSurface water.[69]
White Sands Missile RangeNMPerchlorate 21 mg/LGroundwater.[69]
US Army Umatilla Depot, Hermiston, Umatilla CountyORTNT: 1.6 mg/L (mean)
RDX: 1.0 mg/L (mean)
HMX: 0.4 mg/L (mean)
2,4-DNT: 0.3 mg/L (mean)
Groundwater at explosives washout lagoons.[79, 80]
Fort HoodTXTNT: 143,000 mg/kg
RDX: 323 mg/kg
HMX: 59 mg/kg
Soil beneath low-order 4.2 in mortar.[72]
TXTNT: 70.2 mg/kg
RDX: 414 mg/kg
HMX: 48 mg/kg
Soil at firing range. [18]
Tooele Army Depot (North Area)UTTNT: 32,000 mg/kg
RDX: 1600 mg/kg
Surface soil at/near washout ponds.[81]
Nansemond Ordnance DepotVATNT: 140,000 mg/kg (1987)
TNB: 25.2 mg/kg
2-A-4,6-DNT: 47,000 mg/kg (1987)
Soil at TNT burial site. Facility involved in processing, shipping, receiving, and decommissioning of ordnance items from 1917 to 1960.[82]
Bangor Naval Submarine BaseWATNT: 1,500 mg/kg
2,4-DNT: 3.6 mg/kg
2,6-DNT: 0.41 mg/kg
Soil.[83]
Fort LewisWATNT: 15,100 mg/kg
RDX <10 mg/kg
HMX <10 mg/kg
Soil beneath a low-order 155 mm round.[84]
WANG: 632 mg/kg (mean)Soil 5 to 15 m behind rocket firing area.[2]
Yakima Training CenterWARDX: 54 mg/kg
HMX: 5.2 mg/kg
Soil near a low-order 155 mm round.[78]
WANG: 4.6 mg/kg
2,4-DNT: 24 mg/kg
2,6-DNT: 0.4 mg/kg
Soil at artillery firing point. [3]
Former Dupont Cladding Site at Cabin Lake (aka Dupont Barksdale Explosives Plant)WITNT 0.016 mg/kg
2,4-DNT 0.11 mg/kg
2-A-4,6-DNT 0.19 mg/kg
Soil. Facility manufactured explosives at the Barksdale plant from 1905 to 1971.[85]
Camp GuernseyWYTNT: 9440 mg/kg
RDX: <10 mg/kg
HMX: <10 mg/kg
Soil beneath a ruptured 500 lb bomb.[78]