![]() ![]() German EOD experts were notified and attended the scene. Instead, the location should be reported to the local police so that bomb disposal or Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) professionals can render it safe.Īlthough professional EOD personnel have expert knowledge, skills and equipment, they are not immune to misfortune because of the inherent dangers: in June 2010, construction workers in Göttingen, Germany discovered an Allied 500-kilogram (1,100 lb) bomb dating from World War II buried approximately 7 metres (23 ft) below the ground. For this reason it is universally recommended that unexploded ordnance should not be touched or handled by unqualified persons. There are countless examples of people tampering with unexploded ordnance that is many years old, often with fatal results. Forest fires may be aggravated if buried ordnance explodes and heat waves, causing the water level to drop severely, may increase the danger of immersed ordnance. Construction work may disturb unsuspected unexploded bombs, which may then explode. A major problem with unexploded ordnance is that over the years the detonator and main charge deteriorate, frequently making them more sensitive to disturbance, and therefore more dangerous to handle. Unexploded ordnance from at least as far back as the mid-19th century still poses a hazard worldwide, both in current and former combat areas and on military firing ranges. Once uncovered, explosives can often be transported safely to a site where they can be destroyed, failing that, they must be detonated in place-sometimes requiring hundreds of homes to be evacuated. ![]() Recovery, particularly of deeply-buried projectiles, is difficult and hazardous-jarring may detonate the charge. Even if it does not explode, environmental pollutants are released as it degrades. Unexploded ordnance, however old, may explode. In some heavily used military training areas, munitions-related chemicals such as explosives and perchlorate (a component of pyrotechnics and rocket fuel) can enter soil and groundwater.ġ943 poster by Abram Games warning against leaving blinds on firing ranges In addition to the obvious danger of explosion, buried UXO can cause environmental contamination. In recent years, mines have been used increasingly as weapons of terror against local civilian populations, specifically. An estimated average of 50% of deaths occurs within hours of the blast. Approximately 80% of casualties are civilian, with children the most affected age group. Seventy-eight countries are contaminated by land mines, which kill or maim 15,000–20,000 people every year. When unwanted munitions are found, they are sometimes destroyed in controlled explosions, but accidental detonation of even very old explosives also occurs, sometimes with fatal results. UXO from World War I continue to be a hazard, with poisonous gas filled munitions still a problem. UXO does not always originate from wars areas such as military training grounds can also hold significant numbers, even after the area has been abandoned. Unexploded ordnance ( UXO, sometimes abbreviated as UO), unexploded bombs ( UXBs), and explosive remnants of war ( ERW or ERoW) are explosive weapons ( bombs, shells, grenades, land mines, naval mines, cluster munition, and other munitions) that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, sometimes many decades after they were used or discarded.
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