IUPAC

To collect and review all published data on explosives contamination of soils.

To provide a comprehensive environmental and human health risk assessment on soils contaminated with explosives (bioavailability, degradation pathways etc) .

To evaluate and compare all the current treatment processes and determine the optimum treatment scheme, based on factors such as efficiency, cost, duration of treatment and others.

Explosives-contaminated soil and groundwater at manufacturing and packaging sites pose serious environmental risk. Unstandardized waste disposal procedures and destruction of out-of-date munitions have extended the problem. Due to their stability and mobility in the soil, explosives and their degradation products can also leach to the groundwater. Trinitrotoluene (TNT), 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-hexahydrotriazine (RDX), octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) are the main explosives found in contaminated soils.

There are several different remediation technologies that deal with soil contaminated with explosives. All come under the following broad categories: biological methods, chemical methods, physical methods and thermal methods. Each class of processes has its advantages and disadvantages.

The scope of this study is to provide a step-by-step human health and environmental risk assessment and a critical evaluation of all the current treatment processes. Each part will serve as a guide for scientists and decision-makers world-wide to determine the optimum treatment scheme for their individual case of explosives-contaminated soil, according to the local and national laws and other requirements (levels of contamination, time and funds available for remediation and others).