PARENT SESSION
SA4 - Ecotoxicology and Risk Assessment of Explosives
Chair: Steevens, Jeffery1, 1 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA
Co-chair: Lotufo, Guilherme2, 2 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA
8:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Sunday, 17 November 2002
Room Ballroom F
(031) UXO and Explosives Contamination at Domestic Military Installations: Overview of the Problem and Issues of Concern.
MacDonald, Jacqueline*,1, Knopman, Debra1, Cecchine, Gary1, Lockwood, John1, 1 RAND Corp., Santa Monica, CA
ABSTRACT- Unexploded ordnance (UXO) and explosives contamination at domestic military installations has become an increasing concern since Congress mandated closure of approximately 20% of major U.S. bases under the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC). By law, UXO and explosives contamination on these bases must be cleaned up before the bases can be transferred out of military control. As well, the Department of Defense is responsible for cleaning up thousands of small UXO sites that were transferred from military control prior to BRAC. Yet, the magnitude of the UXO problem and the risks it poses to both human health and ecosystems are poorly understood. This talk will provide an overview of current knowledge on the extent and nature of UXO contamination, previous attempts by the military to develop UXO risk assessment methods, and key issues of concern related to cleanup and transfer of these properties. The talk will identify the sources of UXO and types of explosives present. It will review current estimates of the number of UXO sites, the extent of contamination at these sites, and the funding required to clean them up. Next, it will describe existing UXO risk assessment methods and why none of these has been widely accepted. Finally, it will identify the key technical and political issues that have prevented or slowed cleanup and transfer of UXO-contaminated land. The information in this talk will be based on an extensive study that the RAND Corp. recently completed for the Army on risk assessment of UXO-contaminated sites.
Key words: UXO, explosives, risk assessment