Impact of UXO detonations at the Belgian coast

REMARCO is investigating the impact of UXO detonations at the Belgian Coast

In the course of remediation activities, unexploded ordnance (UXOs) like artillery grenades, mines and depth charges are being safely detonated at different beaches of the Belgian coast. By establishing a collaboration with the Belgian Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Destruction Service (DOVO), researchers from VLIZ organized sediment samples from before and after detonations. The operations took place in spring 2004, and samples were taken at different distances from the crater caused by the explosion. Chemical measurements of TNT and its metabolites, provided by RBINS, will help to investigate the impact of UXO detonations at the beach. 

Several weeks after the UXO detonations, during the summer period, the beach was made accessible again for tourists. Researchers of VLIZ went back to the sites of the explosions, taking sediment samples to assess potential long-term contamination with explosives due to UXO remediation activities. 

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