Abstract
ABSTRACT Potential ecological risks of two heavy metals (Cu, Pb) and three explosives (TNT, RDX, HMX) were determined for a military gunnery range. Since a portion of the site will be submerged after the construction of a flood control reservoir, risk assessment of the site was conducted over two time points: at the current state and after the construction of the flood control reservoir. Terrestrial plants, terrestrial invertebrates, birds, mammals, and aquatic invertebrates were selected as affected ecological receptors at the study site. Potential noncarcinogenic risk was found only in one terrestrial site for Cu and RDX at both time points: For terrestrial plants, ecological hazard quotient (EHQ) by Cu was 1.22. For terrestrial invertebrates, EHQs for Cu and RDX were 1.38 and 6.47, respectively. EHQs in the aquatic environment increased to some extents after the reservoir construction, but the values were less than 1.0. A comparison between EHQs before and after the construction for the same site shows that the reservoir construction would not significantly increase the overall ecological risk, suggesting that the reservoir construction influenced the potential ecological risks at the study site, but the changes were acceptable. Uncertainties involved in the assessment process were identified and discussed.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
More From: Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.