Scientists say bombs lost in world wars are more likely to explode

Danger

Researchers say munitions continually wear out, allowing hazardous materials to leak into the environment and potentially creating environmental and social risks. In addition, as explosives deteriorate over time, often due to poor storage conditions or the presence of undesirable factors such as moisture and certain metals, ammunition can become increasingly sensitive to external stimuli and susceptible to accidental detonation.

The team examined explosive combinations of TNT and ammonium nitrate (amatol) obtained from old munitions in Norway. They were first created in 1915, when Great Britain was experiencing a shortage of artillery shells during the First World War. For several decades – World War II. Until World War II – amatols were used as a viable substitute for pure TNT in explosives.

Ammunition found in Norway We were at war, so we were ready to explodeand was found during explosive ordnance disposal operations designed to avoid exactly that. All of the ammunition the team examined was produced in Germany before May 1945.

The team used a device called a “falling hammer” to test the bomb’s accuracy. The gist of the device is exactly what it sounds like: A mass is dropped on an explosive to determine the force required to catalyze a reaction.

surprisingly Munitions today are much more sensitive to explosion than when they were created.. In the case of a combination of explosives (called “substance B” in the study), the explosive was four times more sensitive than expected.

The team could not determine what made the munitions more sensitive 80 years after use. They suggest this could be due to the formation of salts that increase the sensitivity of the mixture or contamination of amatol by metals with which the substances come into contact in the soil. Perhaps the bombs have lost their structural integrity from being on the ground for decades.

Bombs, which sink into the ground without exploding and become increasingly sensitive, pose a problem throughout Europe and generally wherever they are dropped.

• There are more than 2,000 tons of ammunition in Germany per year.
• Thousands of explosives are found and destroyed every year in Great Britain.
• Approximately 60,000 unexploded ordnances are found in Italy every year.
• And in Belgium, excavating explosive remains from the First World War remains a daily challenge.
• In total, the team estimates that there are millions of tons of long-forgotten explosive munitions.

Researchers add that even intact munitions leach toxic compounds into the soil as they break down, creating a unique environmental problem.