Environmental risk assessment of dumped ammunition in natural waters in Sweden - a summary

After World War II, left ammunition was dumped, and in Sweden it was mainly discarded in lakes as well as at sea. By order of the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) has conducted an environmental risk assessment regarding ammunition dumped in lakes and at sea. In order to enable such an assessment, the following steps were involved; literature studies, field work, chemical analyses and laboratory tests (simularion of TNT release), with respect to retention of the ammunition to lake and sea sediment, respectively. Tests have also been carried out in lakes and at sea where the sensitivity to sediment and water polluted with ammunition in organisms living on the seafloor was analyzed. From an environmental point of view, the risk of leakage of TNT (trinitrotoluene) and its degradation products as well as heavy metals from the dumped ammunition is of paramount importance. The present report summarizes and discusses the most improtant findings from investigations by FOI on the impact of dumped ammunition in natural waters.