Explosives and the Environment

Name Explosive %wt Binder + Plasticizer %wt Other ingredients %wt 

PAX-26 N/A DNAN Aluminium Ammonium perchlorate n-methyl nitroaniline 

Fast dissolution rate, adsorbs strongly to soil but also degrades readily. Depending on soil characteristics, these breakdown products are either more mobile than or have a simila r mobility to TNT. TNT can be taken up by plants from contaminated soil, including edible varieties of garden plants, aquatic and wetland plants, trees, and can accumulate in plant roots. 

Dissolves very slowly in water, does not adsorb strongly to soil and migrates further in contaminant plumes in ground-water. It is not bioaccumulative in plant or animal tissues but can be taken up by plants from contaminated soils, thus small amounts could be transferred up the food chain 

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