Residues Of Explosives Leached From Soils And Groundwater Underlying Military Sites In Eastern Germany

Katrin Spiegel, (formerly GKSS, Geesthacht, Germany)
John V. Headley, K.M. Peru, (National Water Research Institute
11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5; 306-975 5746; fax 306 975 5143; e-mail: john.headley@ec.gc.ca)
Nazar Haidar and Narine P. Gurprasad
(Environmental Protection Services, Edmonton)

Abstract

Studies of 20 organonitrogen explosives and possible transformation products (anilin, NB, 2-NT, 3-NT, 4-NT, 2,6-DAT, 2-M-3-NA, 2,4-DNT, 4-A-2-NT, 2-A-4-NT, TNB, 4-A-2,6-DNT, 3,5-DNA, 2-A-4,6-DNT, 1,3-DNB, 4-MA, 2,6-DNT, TNT, 3,5-DNT, 2,4-DA-6-NT) were performed for groundwater samples collected from military sites in Eastern Germany. Various instrumental methods were utilized, including, LC/UV and LC/amperometric detection with mass spectrometry confirmation of analytes. GC/MS and LC/MS techniques using a Hewlett Packard MSD, a Finnigan MAT GCQ ion trap, a Fisons AutospecQ, and a Micromass Quattro LC/MS were applied. Instrumental detection limits were ~ 0.4 µg/L using tandem mass spectrometry. For some sites, the groundwater was contaminated with up to 6000 µg/L per component, while the levels of transformation products were be detected as low as 0.4 µg/L. The residues of explosives are believed to have leached directly from contaminated soils at the sites. Fractionation of groundwater samples followed by toxicity testing using microtox bioassays, revealed that the nitro compounds (NB, DNT, 2,4,6-TNT and A-DNT) were in general the principal acute toxic components at most sites investigated, whereas the mutagenic effects were assigned to the amino compounds.