2004 CPEO Military List Archive

From: Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>
Date: 5 Jun 2004 06:44:47 -0000
Reply: cpeo-military
Subject: DU Munition found at Camp Edwards
 
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Press Release
Impact Area Groundwater Study Program - Massachusetts Military Reservation
June 3, 2004

Unfired Depleted-Uranium Munition Item Reported at Camp Edwards

Camp Edwards, Mass. - Trained munitions experts have identified an
unfired 20-millimeter projectile as a probable depleted-uranium or DU
round. 

The projectile, which is approximately 2.5-inches in length and
one-half-inch in diameter, was found during cleanup activities at Camp
Edwards.   The munition item and the soil around it have been placed in
safe storage until they can be disposed of in accordance with applicable
regulations.  There is no risk to public health.  

The corroded 20-millimeter round was found during the investigation of a
potential burn pit in a former open burn and detonation site known as
Demolition Area 1.  Munitions specialists working on the Impact Area
Groundwater Study Program investigation and cleanup identified the item
as a probable DU round.  Representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers,
the supervising contactor for the cleanup program, confirmed that the
projectile did not contain any explosives and that there was no
indication that the item had been fired by a weapons system.

DU is a dense, heavy metal used in defensive armor plate and armor
penetrating military munitions.  Commercial uses of DU include ballast
and counterweights in sailboats, airplanes and machinery; radiation
shields in radiation therapy machines and shipping containers; paint
pigments and x-ray tubes. 

DU is created during the enriching of natural uranium.  This process
reduces the radioactive properties of DU below that of naturally
occurring uranium.  The main health concerns with DU relate to its
chemical properties as a heavy metal rather than to its low level of radioactivity.

The source of the 20-millimeter munition item is unknown since there is
no military record of this type of munition having been fired on MMR. 
Groundwater Study Program investigations, which are looking for
groundwater contamination and its sources at Camp Edwards, have included
archive searches to determine any historical uses of DU munitions at
Camp Edwards.  The Groundwater Study Program also has conducted
radiation surveys on defense contractor testing ranges where historical
records indicated 30-millimeter DU munitions were received and
reshipped.  The 20-millimeter munition item is the first DU-related item
found in any of the many munitions investigations conducted by the
program.  

According to Groundwater Study Program officials, training of munitions
specialists includes identification of DU munitions.  Program officials
said that munitions specialists are continuing their investigation and
cleanup work at Demolition Area 1.  All required safety precautions for
working with DU and other munitions items will be observed and, if any
additional DU munition item is found, it will be handled in accordance
with all applicable regulations.

For further information on Groundwater Study Program activities, log on
to www.groundwaterprogram.org.

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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