ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY OF EXPLOSIVES

Yıl 2017, Cilt: Volume 2 Sayı: İssue 1 (1) - 2.İnternational Congress Of Forensic Toxicology, 28 - 28, 16.02.2017

Hülya Koyuncu

Öz

Explosives are used on a large scale by
both the military and by various civilian industries (e.g. mining, high-energy
metalwork, and civil engineering). Explosives utilization contributes to the high environmental
contamination. TNT
(2,4,6-trinitrotoluene), RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine), HMX (octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine) are found mainly in soils and surface waters; there have
also been cases of groundwater contamination. Most explosives are stable due to
their chemical structure and potential for binding to the organic matter, thus
making soil remediation difficult. Additional limitation is the high toxicity
of explosives. The release of explosives into the environment can occur
during several stages of munitions production, storage, transport, and usage,
including manufacturing, handling, loading, and final dispersal or disposal.
Most explosives are considered to be a major hazard to biological systems due
to their toxic and mutagenic effects. Manufacturing inputs can also be organic
compounds or hazardous materials that require special handing due to risks
(such as carcinogens). The decomposition products, residual solids or gases of some
explosives can be toxic. There is still a lack of
studies about the toxicity of explosives. Moreover, most of the studies
conducted thus far have been based on determining toxic effects of individual
substances. Explosives usually appear as mixture in the environment. This can
cause difficulty in assessing their individual effects. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY OF EXPLOSIVES

Kaynakça

• Hitit University, Faculty of Engineering, Chemical Engineering Department, Çorum, Turkey