By
Richard Albright, Department of the Environment Defense Unit, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
Description
Unexploded military ordnance and toxic chemicals, some dating back to World War I, are a worldwide concern, especially at closed military
bases that will be redeveloped for housing or civilian use. In Europe and Asia, many munitions sites are former battlegrounds; in Russia
and its former territories, sites are used for storage and waste disposal. Experts estimate that the United States alone could spend
between $50 and 250 billion dollars to cleanup these sites, many of which are in high-population density, residential areas. You might
live near one such site right now.
This book gives detailed instructions for cleaning up military ordnance sites, and lists of explosives,
chemical warfare materials and breakdown products that the soil and groundwater must be tested for. Also included are archival studies;
remote sensing techniques; geophysical techniques; safety issues; a chemical weapons, explosives and ordnance primer; known and unknown
range lists; and a case study of documents written for cleaning up one of the worst examples yet: Spring Valley in the District of Columbia.
It disproves myths, common misconceptions and lies, and explains what, how, and where to look for munitions and their residual contamination.
Audience:
This book is written for environmentalists, regulators, policy makers, contractors, and activist citizens who are unaware of munitions
issues, as well as for military munitions experts and decision-makers needing to understand the critical environmental and health risks
arising from munitions issues. It will also be essential reading for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other personnel responsible for
cleaning up active and Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS).
