Uranium, thorium and tungsten concentration measured in the soil of Italian Military Forces firing range “Poligono Interforze Salto di Quirra”: natural background or enhancement of concentration levels caused by military activities?

Abstract

The training activities of the Italian Military Forces are currently being conducted in over one hundred military firing ranges over the national territory. The large-scale firing range, named “Poligono Interforze Salto di Quirra (PISQ)” is located in Sardinia. PISQ is divided into two main areas: one for ground fire training exercises, and the other for training at sea. This work summarizes and discusses the large amount of analytical data produced for the geochemical characterization of the ground firing range and the surrounding areas, with particular attention to uranium, tungsten and thorium concentration levels in soils. Mining activities, even if long since stopped, have affected the region for a long time, while, more recently, the environmental legislation was subjected to a continuous evolution imposing new limits with the aim of protecting the environment. The studies carried out in the period 2002–2015 aimed, in particular, to verify if the concentrations of uranium, thorium and tungsten in soils of the firing range area have been enhanced by military training operations, causing a risk for the environment and the human health. Results seem to exclude this hypothesis; moreover it was demonstrated that depleted uranium is practically absent in the area.