World War I munition

During World War I munitions factory workers making... 

The French 75 is a classic cocktail, circa World War I, which is currently regaining recognition. It is named for the French 75-millimeter gun used by Allied troops, including, according to one story, Captain Harry S Truman. The drink s munitions are Cognac and Champagne. The simplest recipe calls for little more than a twist of lemon. Versions that take prisoners include liqueurs. 

Between World War I and II, TNT replaced picric acid as the explosive of choice in munitions. It was also mixed with other compounds to produce more powerful explosives with unique characteristics. Amatol is a mixture containing between 40% and 80% ammonium nitrate and TNT. Pentolite is a mixture of PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) and TNT. Another common explosive mixture is RDX (cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine) and TNT. RDX is an abbreviation for Royal Demolition Explosive. 

In Britain, the manufacture of cordite had commenced in 1889 in the royal gunpowder factory at Waltham Abbey. The acetone, which was critical to the process, was made from the distillate collected from wood that was heated to a high temperature. The best wood for this purpose came from the forests of continental Europe, and it was therefore unavailable to the British after the start of World War i. But in 1915 a chance meeting solved this problem. C.P. Scott of The Manchester Guardian introduced David Lloyd George, the Minister of Munitions, to one Chaim Weizmann. 

During World War I and World War II, most workers who routinely handled tetryl powder and pellets in munitions factories developed a distinct yellow staining of the skin. Many workers also developed skin rashes. These workers were exposed to high concentrations of tetryl dust in the air and by direct contact with the explosives. There are no medical tests to show if you have been specifically exposed to tetryl. However, if the breakdown products of tetryl found in the urine of animals exposed to tetryl were also present in the urine of exposed humans, these breakdown products could be used to indicate exposure to tetryl or similar substances. The symptoms caused by exposure to tetryl can also occur for many other reasons therefore, they cannot be used as proof of tetryl exposure. Refer to Chapters 2 and 6 for more information. 

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. 

Several studies are available regarding health effects in humans exposed to tetryl in munitions manufacturing plants. In most studies, the number of workers or the duration and level of exposure were not provided. These studies were conducted during World War I and World War II when tetryl was being manufactured in large quantities. The workers were exposed by both dermal and inhalation routes, and it is possible that some of the dusts were swallowed. The toxic effects, other than dermal and ocular effects, are described in Section 2.2.1, Inhalation Exposure. 

This process was used extensively during World War I to produce munitions and, since the early 1950s, has become the world s largest source of nitrogenous fertilizer (SmU, 2001). N2 is taken from the atmosphere, whereas H2 is produced from a fossil fuel, usually natural gas. 

For over 70 years the U.S. has produced and stored chemical weapons. In addition to the military arsenal, there are also "non-stockpile" materials. Non-stockpile material includes buried chemical warfare material, binary chemical weapons, recovered chemical weapons, and former production facilities. Some of these materials date back to World War I development and production efforts. Not all of these sites are still under military control. For example, in 1993, a large number of World War I chemical shells were removed from a residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C. The burial site was discovered by construction crews while excavating the basement of a new home. In addition to non-stockpile materials, there have also been several situations where individuals have claimed to possess chemical munitions and threatened to release their contents. For these reasons, it would be beneficial to be able to rapidly identify suspect munitions. 

Within the United States, DOD estimates that over 900 military sites are contaminated with UXO. DOD estimates that it has already cost 10.3 billion through fiscal year 1994 to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous materials, including UXO, and that it will cost an additional 31 billion for future actions. In European countries, millions of bombs, landmines, and other munitions from World Wars I and II still remain uncleared. 

Over the span of history, military forces have trained and fought on this continent, resulting in millions of rounds of unexploded ordnance left on and in the land and under water. Live Civil War munitions found in Virginia adorn fireplace mantlepieces. live World War I chemical munitions are found in a subdivision in Washington, DC. live World... 

Once the use of chemical gases became widespread in World War I and adequate protective measures were taken (e.g., gas masks), casualties dramatically decreased. However, efficiency of soldiers is drastically reduced. Since this occurs for both sides of a conflict, some military experts do not believe that the use of chemical agents provides a distinct strategic advantage. What they do provide is a fear factor that is not shared by use of common munitions. The highly potent nerve agents were never used in World War I since they were developed after the Armistice in the thirties. 

Operations were carried out during April and May of 2008, with the system set up in an open field at Schofield Barracks. The 71 munitions to be destroyed had been removed Ifom a Schofield Barracks training range in 2006. The munitions dated Ifom World War I and World War II and were thought to include the following ... 

---