Welcome to UXOInfo.com's free monthly E-Newsletter on Unexploded Ordnance (UXO). UXOInfo.com is the largest site on the Internet for UXO related news and information. If you have not checked out the UXOInfo.com website, we encourage you to do so at www.uxoinfo.com.

In addition to bringing you the latest UXO news and information, the UXOInfo.com website also provides the following:

• UXO Resume Response Line
• Ordnance / UXO Photo Gallery
• Documentation Sharing

• UXO News Wire Service
• UXO Site Inventory
• Questions and Answers

The UXO E-Newsletter is issued monthly to provide the industry with important news and information related to UXO. For information on how to advertise in future UXO E-Newsletters please email the UXOInfo.com Marketing Coordinator, Ms. Jenna Coven at jenna@uxoinfo.com.

The UXO E-newsletter is a free service brought to you by the Center for Ordnance Research & Education (CORE). If you do not wish to receive the UXO E-Newsletter in the future, simply use the un-subscribe link provided at the bottom of this newsletter. If you have any questions or comments on CORE, UXOInfo.com, or the UXO E-Newsletter, please email them to information@uxoinfo.com. The UXO E-Newsletter and UXOInfo.com are the copyright of CORE, Inc. This UXO E-Newsletter may be copied and distributed.

CORE UXO Services Announcement

As you all know, UXOInfo.com recently re-structed and is now managed by the Center for Ordnance Research & Education (CORE), a non-profit research organization dedicated to ordnance issues. In an effort to provide additional support to the industry and to raise funds to grow the UXOInfo.com website, CORE is now offering select UXO Services to industry. The service offerings are not meant to compete with industry but are designed to assist and support industry. The service offerings include an "Archival and Research Support Service" and a "Site-specific Ordnance Identification and Hazard ID Guide Service". As a non-profit with low overhead rates, CORE can provide these services at very competitive rates. For more information on these two new services, please see the CORE UXO Services Webpage.

I would also like to remind everyone in industry about the Corporate Sponsorships opportunities avaialble with UXOInfo.com. As a Corporate Sponsor, your organization receives the following:

• Banner Ad on the UXOInfo.com homepage
• Ad in the monthly UXO E-Newsletter
• Unlimited use of the UXO Resume Response Line
• Support with custom resume searches
• Free placement of on-line helpwanted ads

For information on Corporate Sponsorship packages, please see the advertising information page or view the UXO Opportunities Brief that I put together. If you have any questions about Corporate Sponsorships, UXOInfo.com or CORE in general, please call or send me an email. Thank you and please stay safe.

USACE Releases Updated Guidance on Explosives Site Plans

Huntsville, Alabama The USACE released an Interim Guidance Document (IGD) related to Explosive Site Plans (ESP) for Army Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) projects. The interim guidance establishes the requirement for the submittal of a separate, stand-alone ESP for Army MMRP sites and provides an updated standard format for an ESP.

Prior to the IGD, the ESP was included as part of the site work plans. The IGD reiterates the approving authorities for Army ESP documents, which includes the DoD component (USACE), the U.S. Army Technical Center for Explosives Safety (USATCES), and the DDESB. According to the IGD, an ESP must be approved "before activities involving the use, exposure to, disposal of, or placement of, explosives on the site."

The IGD also reiterates the situations where an ESP is not required by the Army (i.e. emergency responses, Preliminary Assessments / Site Inspections where no intrusive activities are planned, operational range clearance, small arms only ranges, on-call construction support activities, and anomaly avoidance activities).

Download USACE IGD on Explosive Site Plans from UXOInfo.com.

A look at the Annual Environmental Report to Congress

MMRP Progress Update

DoD Released the FY 2007 Annual Defense Environmental Report to Congress which details the accomplishments and progress of DoD's environmental programs during FY2007. Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) sites fall under the Defense Environmental Program and are included in the annual report. A new appendix to this year's annual report is the "MMRP Comprehensive Plan Update" (Appendix M). The 4-page executive summary style plan presents a summary of the progress made by the DoD Services in meeting the performance goals and metrics of the MMRP as well as providing a top level budget overview.

Story continued on the UXO News Wire Service - 2007 Report to Congress MMRP Progress Update

Lewisite Lost at Sea, a Look at Munitions Sea Disposal Site Data

A new appendix to the Annual Report to Congress added in 2006, summary data on Munitions Sea Disposal Sites is now included in the report. A comparison of FY2006 data (i.e. Appendix R of the 2006 Report) to FY2007 data (i.e. Appendix S of the FY2007 report) yields some interesting observations. In 2006, DoD reported that 29,401 tons of CWM Munitions were dumped at sea at 19 sites in U.S. Waters. In 2007, DoD reported the total number of sites at 30 and the total amount of CWM munitions disposed at 29,652 tons.

It appears that 11 sites were added to the inventory including:

• Johnston Atoll in the Pacific;
• Vieques in the Caribbean;
• Puget Sound off the coast of Washington State;
• Pearl Harbor, Hawaii;
• A second site off the coast of California (location unknown):
• Bush River, Maryland (Chesapeake Bay);
• Horn Island off the coast of Mississippi;
• Penobscott Bay off the coast of Maine; and
• 3 sites in the Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Maine, Delaware and New Jersey respectively.

Despite the nearly 60 percent increase in the number of sites reported, the tonnage of CWM munitions reported as disposed at sea only increased by 251 tons (.06 percent). Some chemical agent types actually decreased in value including Lewisite which dropped from 11,141 tons reported in 2006 to 10,654 tons reported in 2007.

Story continued on the UXO News Wire Service - 2007 Report to Congress Munitions Sea Disposal Sites

New Book Details Procedures for Chemical and Explosive Munitions Cleanup

Cleanup of Chemical and Explosive Munitions, by Dr. Richard Albright walks the reader through the steps that need to be taken to clean up a military munitions site, base or storage facility on land or at sea. It also conveniently lists hundreds of explosives, chemical warfare materials, and breakdown products that the soil and groundwater must be tested for.

This is essential reading for personnel responsible for cleaning up active and formerly used defense sites (FUDS) both on land and sea. It covers remote sensing techniques, geophysical techniques, safety issues, known and unknown range lists, and serves as a primer on chemical weapons, explosives and ordnance. It is written for military munitions experts and decision-makers who need to understand the critical environmental and health risks arising from munitions issues; as well as for environmentalists, regulators, policy makers and activist citizens who are unaware of munitions issues.

The book is available at a discount through the publisher at http://www.williamandrew.com/title.php?id=10. The book will be shipping no later than May 4, 2008.

For more information on Cleanup of Chemical and Explosive Munitions, please view the the Publisher's Press Release.

Old Mortar Mixed In With Clams Delivered to Plant

Millville, New Jersey Workers at the LaMonica Fine Foods food processing plant on Gorton Road were surprised when they found an old mortar shell mixed in with a shipment of clams they received. New Jersey State Police responded to the call along with technical support from the New Jersey State Bomb Disposal unit.

Since the item was military related, the police also called in an EOD team from the Air National Guard base in Atlantic County for additional support. The EOD unit removed the mortar from the plant and transported it to a rifle range where it was safely disposed of.

The exact type of mortar was not identified but reports indicate that it was 10 inches long and did not contain a fuze. The fins of the mortar shell were almost completed rusted off with only remnants remaining. The source location of the clams is under investigation to determine if the potential exists for additional munitions.

Explosives Manufacturer Fined For Perchlorate Contamination

Phoenix, Arizona A company that manufactures ejection seat rocket motors and other explosive devices has been fined by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) for potential perchlorate associated contamination. The total fine to Universal Propulsion Company was set by ADEQ at $140,000. Reportedly, the company received four notices of violation concerning perchlorate contamination between 2002 and 2006.

UXO Project Manager Wanted

Apex Companies, LLC, a national provider of environmental, health, safety, and engineering services, is seeking a self-motivated, multi-faceted professional to manage UXO project field operations. This full-time position is located in San Diego, California. The position requires 8 years experience supervising UXO remediation field operations and staff. Apex is seeking articulate, safety-minded UXO professionals with a hands-on approach to running UXO remediation projects.

For more information on the position, please see the Apex Help Wanted Ad on UXOInfo.com News Wire service.

Frag From Artillery Testing Crashes Through Nearby Home

Rockaway Township, New Jersey Fragmentation from an artillery shell crashed through the roof of a residential house located approximately one-half mile from Picatinny Arsenal. The 2-pound chunk of metal landed in the bed of a 10-year old girl. Fortunately, the girl was not home at the time of the incident. The girl's mother, who was home when the accident occurred, reportedly heard a load crash in the house. When she investigated, she was surprised to find the piece of molten metal smoldering in her daughter's bed. She then called the police to report the incident.

The police contacted the installation who dispatched an EOD unit to investigate. Initial reports concluded that the frag came from a military mortar shell. Although no one in the family was injured during the accident, the 14-year old family cat reportedly was seriously injured and had to be euthanized.

Story continued on the UXO News Wire Service - Frag Hits Home

Schonstedt Instrument Company is the world's leading manufacturer of hand-held Fluxgate magnetometers for UXO and weapons detection. Schonstedt magnetic locators find ferrous metal targets used in landmines, buried ordnance, other munitions and explosives of concern (MEC), and hidden weapons. They have been tested and proven by the US military, private contractors and NGOs in military and humanitarian de-mining operations around the globe. For a 1-page overview of the company's magnetic locator product line, go to www.findordnance.com

Schonstedt Instrument Company
100 Edmond Road
Kearneysville, WV 25430
USA
Contact: Tylee Ulmer

Information on Corporate Sponsorships can be found in the UXO Opportunities Brief. If you have any questions on Corporate Sponsorships or want to sign up, please contact the UXOInfo.com Marketing Coordinator, Ms. Jenna Coven at jenna@uxoinfo.com or 267.295.8010.

Updated DoD Contractor.s Safety Manual 4145.26M Released

DoD released an updated version of the Contractor's Safety Manual For Ammunition and Explosives (AE), DoD 4145.26-M. The Manual provides safety standards for private industry contractors conducting AE operations and facilities performing AE work or AE services under DoD contracts, subcontracts, purchase orders, or other procurement methods.

The manual applies to UXO sites where explosives are stored, handled or used including requirements related to safety and the storage, collection and destruction of AE materiel.

Download March 13, 2008 version of DoD 4145.26M which supersedes the version issued almost a decade ago on September 16, 1997.from UXOInfo.com.

Rental Car Mistaken for Range Target

Hill AFB, Utah An F-16 pilot accidentally straffed a rental vehicle with its 20mm Gatling-style cannon during a Close Air Support (CAS) exercise on the Utah Test and Training Range Complex. Two soldiers were in the car when the firing occurred but managed to escape with only minor injures.

The exact type of 20 mm ammunition (e.g. TP, HEI) fired during the incident was not reported. The 388th Fighter Wing plans to conduct a full investigation regarding the incident. At this time, it's unclear whether the vehicle was where it was supposed to be during the live-fire exercise. The soldiers who were injured were visiting the range from Fort Lewis, Washington. They have since returned to Fort Lewis and are back to duty.

Check out the updated UXO Resume Response Line - an on-line employment referral service specifically designed for the UXO industry. Through the UXO Resume Response Line, the skills of UXO professionals are matched with the needs of UXO remediation and consulting companies.

Simply fill out a profile and to submit your resume on-line using the UXO Profile Entry Form. From temporary part-time positions to full time permanent placements, let the UXOInfo.com Resume Response Line find a position for you. Best of all, there is never a fee to complete an on-line UXO Profile.

Subscriptions are available to browse the UXO Resumes on-line. For more information on the service, see the UXO Profile Viewer. The return on investment is significant in terms of decreased time and effort to find qualified candidates as well as providing you an expanding pool of available candidates from which to select from to support your UXO projects.

For more information about the UXO Resume Response Line or to post a Help Wanted Ad, please email the UXOInfo.com Marketing Coordinator, Jenna Coven at jenna@uxoinfo.com

WWII Era German Chemical Delay Booby Trap

A UXOInfo.com reader doing research at the National Archives came across an interesting sketch from WWII of a German Chemical Delay Booby Trap Firing Mechanism. A copy of the hand drawn sketch drawn initially in color pencil is shown below along with the typed and hand written text that was included with the sketch. No other information was provided on the item. The one page now-declassified document from the National Archives appears to be part of an intelligence report on German Booby Traps.

"On Activation, the tape is pulled off, the wooden strip removed, and the small brass crush screw given a few turns in. This action crushes the acid vial, causes it to dissolve the wire running through the sealed brass tube. When this wire is eaten through, the entire mechanism moves toward the match head under the impetus of the spring. The forked head of the wooden plug, covered with match compound comes into contact with the match head igniting it. This burns with a fierce flame for a few seconds, long enough to light the fuses protruded from the two tubes of explosive, which appears to be nitro-starch".

"No specific use for the trap has been discovered of thought of by the personnel who have seen it. Except that it might be left on a desk top or some similar place. It appears to have a functioning time of about 30 hours. Caution if Crush Screw is Turned Out, the Trap Will Fire Immediately".

Information source - Mr. Rick Stauber.

Teens Killed After They Throw Grenade Into Fire

Chechnya, Russia A pair of 16-year old teenagers found an unexploded VOG-25 hand grenade. For some unknown reason, the teens decided to put the grenade in a fire to see what would happen. The grenade exploded killing them both in the process.