Evaluate and characterize mechanisms controlling transport, fate, and effects of army smokes in the aerosol wind tunnel: Transport, transformations, fate, and terrestrial ecological effects of hexachloroethane obscurant smokes

Technical Report · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5367631· OSTI ID:5367631

Cataldo, D. A.; Ligotke, M. W.; Bolton, H. Jr.; Fellows, R. J.; Van Voris, P.; McVeety, B. D.; Li, Shu-mei W.; McFadden, K. M.

The terrestrial transport, chemical fate, and ecological effects of hexachloroethane (HC) smoke were evaluated under controlled wind tunnel conditions. The primary objectives of this research program are to characterize and assess the impacts of smoke and obscurants on: (1) natural vegetation characteristic of US Army training sites in the United States; (2) physical and chemical properties of soils representative of these training sites; and (3) soil microbiological and invertebrate communities. Impacts and dose/responses were evaluated based on exposure scenarios, including exposure duration, exposure rate, and sequential cumulative dosing. Key to understanding the environmental impacts of HC smoke/obscurants is establishing the importance of environmental parameters such as relative humidity and wind speed on airborne aerosol characteristics and deposition to receptor surfaces. Direct and indirect biotic effects were evaluated using five plant species and two soil types. HC aerosols were generated in a controlled atmosphere wind tunnel by combustion of hexachloroethane mixtures prepared to simulate normal pot burn rates and conditions. The aerosol was characterized and used to expose plant, soil, and other test systems. Particle sizes of airborne HC ranged from 1.3 to 2.1 {mu}m mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD), and particle size was affected by relative humidity over a range of 20% to 85%. Air concentrations employed ranged from 130 to 680 mg/m{sup 3}, depending on exposure scenario. Chlorocarbon concentrations within smokes, deposition rates for plant and soil surfaces, and persistence were determined. The fate of principal inorganic species (Zn, Al, and Cl) in a range of soils was assessed.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOD; DOE/NE
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5367631
• Report Number(s): PNL-7166; ON: DE90002923
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
510200 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AEROSOLS
BACTERIA
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMISTRY
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ECOSYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EQUIPMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MICROORGANISMS
MILITARY EQUIPMENT
PLANTS
PROGRESS REPORT
RESIDUES
SMOKES
SOIL CHEMISTRY
SOILS
SOLS
SURFACES
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
TRAINING
TUNNELS
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
WIND TUNNELS