Hazard assessment of exposure to ammunition-related constituents and combustion products

Assessing the toxicity of munitions constituents and their combustion products during use is challenging, as the reaction products are highly dependent on the conditions of use and the climate. Currently, combustion products can be identified to a certain extent by predictive software and by capturing emissions from live detonations. However, both are limited. Predictive models rely on assumptions, and cannot take into account all environmental conditions. On the other hand, there are no standard experimental methods for capturing emissions and results can be compromised by the chosen sampling point location, volume of sampling area, frequency of firing and degradation between capture and analysis. In addition, subsequent determination of the toxicity of these compounds, particularly in mixtures, is limited by the lack of standardised methods, and difficulty in relating cellular or animal test results to humans. This chapter summarises the current state of the art in assessing the hazards posed by munitions related compounds and their combustion products. Also, recommendations are made for improvement of predictive models, the setup for experiments aimed at analysis of emissions, and toxicological evaluations.