Gun Propellant Residues Dispersed from Static Artillery Firings of LG1 Mark 2 and C3 105-mm Howitzers

Military training on fields and ranges at Canadian Forces Bases (CFB) is essential to prepare our troops for potential wars and/or peace missions. On the other hand, the growing concern of DND leaders and of the general population makes it necessary to evaluate the impacts of training on the environ...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Diaz, Emmanuela, Gilbert, Denis, Faucher, Dominic, Marois, Andre, Gagnon, Annie
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Ammunition and Explosives
BIOMASS
CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION
DISPERSIONS
DNT
ENERGETIC MATERIALS CONTAMINATION
GUN PROPELLANTS
HOWITZERS
Hydrology, Limnology and Potamology
MILITARY FACILITIES
MILITARY TRAINING
NITROGLYCERIN
RANGES(FACILITIES)
RESIDUES
SAMPLING
SOILS
Solid Wastes Pollution and Control
STATIC TESTS
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Summary:Military training on fields and ranges at Canadian Forces Bases (CFB) is essential to prepare our troops for potential wars and/or peace missions. On the other hand, the growing concern of DND leaders and of the general population makes it necessary to evaluate the impacts of training on the environment. During the last 10 years, new methods of characterization have been developed to assess the energetic materials contamination, which is different from the usual contamination in residential or industrial scenarios. Recently, the efforts were focused on firing positions. Soil and biomass sampled at firing positions have shown detectable levels of gun propellant residues, such as 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) and nitroglycerine (NG). In this study, aluminium witness plates were placed in front of the muzzle of the gun to collect residues propelled in the environment. Cotton wipes were used to collect the residues on plates. Moreover, as complementary data, soil samples were taken before and after the military exercise using a composite approach to be statistically representative. The energetic materials were analyzed at DRDC Valcartier in Quebec City by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and metal analyses were performed at Bodycote Testing Group in Montreal only for soil samples. This work was realized in May 2005 and was supported by the Sustain Thrust of DRDC and the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), Washington D.C., USA..