Environmental implications of explosive ordnance disposal open burn/open detonation operations
- EMCON Alaska, Inc., Anchorage, AK (United States)
- Explosive Disposal Engineering and Technology, Wasilla, AK (United States)
The United States Army created their first Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams in 1941, primarily to deal with the possibility of unexploded ordnance in occupied areas. Training with the British, who had developed a strong EOD program in response to the air raids on their cities and military installations, the Army teams concentrated on the safety of the technician and the local population. The gradual advent of Environmental laws since the 1970s was largely unnoticed by the EOD community, whose operatives continued to value safety over environmental considerations. Now, the Army is faced with sites throughout the country that were used as EOD areas or impact areas that need to be investigated and decontaminated before installations are turned over for public use. Records of the OB/OD activities conducted on these ranges are often sketchy or nonexistent, since the personnel performing the work were not required to keep detailed records. To develop the site investigation or initiate closure plans needed to clean these areas, it is necessary to know how EOD operations historically have been conducted. The specific methods which have been used by EOD technicians for the past 50 years vary by the types of explosives available and the types of munitions to be disposed of. The residues left by the operation would therefore vary, which would change the methods by which a site investigation should be conducted.
- OSTI ID:
- 113229
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940499--; ISBN 1-56590-014-6
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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