Munitions plants

Because of the success of the various chemical agent manufacturing plants, the supply of toxic materials exceeded the supply of shells. Probably for that reason, a significant effort was made to load shells at the AUES. These shell loading factories and any nearby ground scars should be made into separate POIs. 

In addition to the 20 ft x 20 ft persistency test area (POI 16), the test report describes a large test field. The District of Columbia believes this to be the large square ground scar known as POI 15, now POI 15R (relocated). No soil sampling was done at this POI in 1994. 

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Safety, Pollution, and Conservation Energy Eeview (Spacer) for Munitions Plant Modernisation, ARLCD-SP-77001, ARDEC, Dover, N.J., 1977. 

Pollution Abatement and Conservation of Energy Review for Munitions Plant Modemi tion, TR 2210, PTA, Dover, N.J., 1976. 

Application of Latest Safety Engineering Concepts to Munition Plant Modernization , Ibid, 353—79 10) B. Jezek, D.J. Katnausis, R.G. 

An interesting survey of pollution abatement in munition plants was. recently published by I. Forsten of PicArsn (Ref 91). This article... 

Plant Layout, Location, Design and Construction. For information on the special techniques required in the loading and fabrication of expls pertinent to ammo plant layout and design, see the entry under that title in Vol 7, L46-L to L57-L For what has been done to accomplish modernization of munitions plants now extant, see Modernization Engineering Project for US Army,Ammunition Plants1 in this Vol, M.147-L to Ml48-R. The problem of pollution created by ammo plants is examined in an article under this topic in this Vol... 

Munition Plant Modernization Program. Both the US Army and the Navy have extensive plant modernization and pollution abatement programs planned and underway, and the waste-water picture is changing rapidly. So rapidly, in fact, that field data are out of date by the time they can be put into a report. Perhaps the best way to present the story is to force-fit all information into one of three time eras ... 

Bauer, C. R, Grant, C. L., and Jenkins, T. R, Interlaboratory Evaluation of High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Nitroorganics in Munition Plant Wastewater, Ana/. Chem. 58, 1986, 176-182. 

A study investigated the effects of HMX in 24 male munitions workers who were also exposed to cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine or RDX. Although air levels of RDX were measured (0.28 mg/m ), levels of HMX were not. Compared with an unexposed control group of 237 men, there were no differences in various hematologic, renal, and hepatic indices. Another study in a group of 558 male and female munitions workers examined the immunologic effects of explosives. The study was prompted by the occurrence of three cases of lupus erythematosus at one munitions plant in 2 years. The workers were exposed to HMX and RDX, either alone or in combination... 

In an epidemiological study at a munitions plant where workers were exposed to 0.28 mg/m time-weighted average (TWA), there were no abnormalities of the hematologic, hepatic, or renal systems. ... 

Thus, It Is not surprising that munitions plant workers In both England and the United States developed rashes, dermatitis, and blisters from contact with CS powder.11 41 Protection of these workmen was achieved by the use of air-supplied suits and rigorous attention to bathing and changing of clothing after work. Bowers et... 

Czech Dynamites. No information on their compositions at our disposal. Two Czech pre-WWII arms and munitions plants are listed, however, in Vol 3, p C638. They are Czekoslovenska Sbrojovka Akciova Spolecnost v Brne (formerly called Brunn) and Skoda Werke at pilsen... 

During WWI the Ordnance Dept expanded until it had on payroll 6000 officers, 60000 enlisted men and 73000 civilians. After WWI the Dept was rapidly demobilized and munition plants and machinery were converted to peacetime production. The Dept... 

Argentine civilian-owned munitions plants 1 A479-A480... 

Argentine government-owned munitions plants 1 A478... 

Photolysis of aq solns of TNT, such as are obtained as wastes from munition plants, leads to the formation of pink water . There have been a number of studies made with the ultimate purpose of elucidating the chemistry involved in pink water formation. For general background on the photochemistry of TNT and related nitro compds, see Vol 8, P258-L to P262-L... 

Activated carbon has long been widely used for purification of munitions plant waste water. 

Inhalation of 0.3 to 1.3mg/m3 of TNT in a munitions plant for 8 hrs/day, 5 or 6 days a week, for an average of 33 days, was sufficient exposure to produce blood changes and rashes in a large proportion of a group of human volunteers. A bitter taste was noticed by subjects who absorbed 7.1mg/kg of TNT thru the skin during a single 8-hour exposure... 

The existing database on tetryl is quite limited. Most of the information on health effects comes from case studies and reports on the health of workers employed in tetryl munitions plants during World War I and World War II. The levels of tetryl to which these workers were exposed were generally not reported. Few data exist from animal studies with tetryl. None of the data located were reliable enough to determine levels of significant exposure (LSE). Because of this, estimates of levels posing minimal risk to humans (Minimal Risk Levels, or MRLs) could not be derived. 

Inhalation, dermal, and some oral exposure to tetryl has occurred in workers involved in production and use of tetryl compounds. In the past, workers in munitions plants were exposed to tetryl dust released into workroom air (Cripps 1917 Hardy and Maloof 1950 Hilton and Swanston 1941 Probst et al. 1944 Troup 1946 Witkowski et al. 1942). In one study, air samples taken in 1942 from a small powder house where exploder bags were loaded with weighted tetryl, stemmed, tied, and inspected had tetryl levels ranging from 1 to 18 mg/m (Hardy and Maloof 1950). Workers in these plants were exposed via inhalation of the tetryl dust and by dermal contact with the tetryl powder and pellets. Today, workers engaged in demilitarization operations involving detonation, open- burning, or incineration of tetryl explosives are likely to be exposed to tetryl. The extent of exposure in these workers has not been adequately determined. 

Brabham VW. 1943. Tetryl illness in munition plants. JSC Med Assoc 39 93-95. 

Safety Design Considerations in Munition Plants Layout... 

Water Deluge System Application In Munition Plants... 

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