Radford Arsenal: Toxic Contamination from Open Burning and Open Detonation

The report details how the Radford Army Ammunition Plant (RAAP) uses open burn and open detonation (OB/OD) to destroy military munitions, releasing millions of pounds of toxins into the environment. It highlights a lack of transparency from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) and the facility's failure to assess cumulative health impacts, resulting in elevated risks of asthma and cancer for nearby residents. The document recommends ending open burning, implementing third-party alternatives assessments, and conducting community health assessments.

• The Radford Army Ammunition Plant (RAAP) utilizes open burn and open detonation (OB/OD) to dispose of military munitions, which leads to the uncontrolled release of toxic substances into air, soil, and groundwater.
• RAAP's operations have released millions of pounds of toxins, including over 10 million pounds of nitrate compounds and tens of thousands of pounds of nitroglycerin and ammonia in 2020 alone.
• Nearby residents face an increased risk of cancer and asthma compared to other parts of Virginia due to pollution burdens from the facility.
• The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) and RAAP have failed to provide adequate transparency or community outreach, and the facility has not assessed the cumulative impacts of multiple hazardous waste operations.

APA

Fuhrmann, L., & Minovi, D. (2022). Radford Arsenal: Toxic Contamination from Open Burning and Open Detonation. Earthjustice. https://earthjustice.org/feature/radford-open-burn-detonation-toxic

Chicago

Fuhrmann, Lisa, and Darya Minovi. Radford Arsenal: Toxic Contamination from Open Burning and Open Detonation. Earthjustice, 2022. https://earthjustice.org/feature/radford-open-burn-detonation-toxic.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fuhrmann |first1=Lisa |last2=Minovi |first2=Darya |title=Radford Arsenal: Toxic Contamination from Open Burning and Open Detonation |publisher=Earthjustice |date=28 September 2022 |url=https://earthjustice.org/feature/radford-open-burn-detonation-toxic |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fuhrmann2022radford, author = {Fuhrmann, Lisa and Minovi, Darya}, title = {{Radford Arsenal: Toxic Contamination from Open Burning and Open Detonation}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://earthjustice.org/feature/radford-open-burn-detonation-toxic}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }