Field Demonstration and Method Validation of NRL Environmental Immunosensors
Abstract
The major components in nearly all military munitions are TNT and/or RDX, compounds which are both a potential explosive hazard to remediation workers when present at high concentrations in soil and are toxic to humans at lower concentrations. The U.S. EPA has proposed a lifetime health advisory level of 2.0 ng/mL TNT and RDX as the maximum limit for drinking water. The DoD has more than 50 sites listed on the U.S. EPA Superfund list that are contaminated with explosives from munitions manufacture, storage, and demilitarization that do not meet these limits. TNT and RDX are mobile in the soil and, due to this mobility, are a source of groundwater contamination both on and around military sites. Remediation of water and soil at these sites requires rapid, accurate analysis of field samples at the site and in the surrounding area. Each cleanup site will require monitoring for 10-30 years, necessitating analysis of thousands of samples. Currently, samples are collected and sent to a central laboratory for analysis by RP-HPLC according to U.S. EPA SW846 Method 8330, either by direct injection or after preconcentration using an extraction procedure. Turnaround times vary from a week to a month, with laboratory costs per test ranging from $1000 to $250 respectively. Current methods of analysis of both water and soils are insufficient for on-site decision making.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 20, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA637474
Entities
People
- Anne Kusterbeck
- Lisa C Shriver-Lake
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory