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The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
LA fires charred homes into piles of metal and concrete. By recycling them, they're given new life
Candace Frazee recently walked through the burnt remains of The Bunny Museum, searching for anything that could be salvaged before workers cleared the land. The Eaton Fire in Southern California in January scorched more than 60,000 bunny objects and memorabilia, leaving behind mounds of ash, steel and concrete littered across the landscape. Giant bunny statues that once greeted guests were left just wiry, hollow skeletons. Her home in the back was also gone. Yet amid the debris, there are valuable materials being redeemed: Metal, concrete and some trees are being recycled and given new life. 'It's fantastic. It's absolutely fantastic,' said Frazee of recycling the materials, who co-founded the museum with her husband. 'That's the right thing to do.' After the Palisades and Eaton fires scorched entire neighborhoods, the Army Corps of Engineers set up operations to recycle concrete and metal from mostly fire-damaged homes. Metal is compacted and concrete is crushed, then trucked to recycling facilities before re-entering the supply chain for future uses. And some trees and shrubs are processed and sold. 'A lot of this material can be reused in future construction, and that's just good for the environment,' said Col. Sonny Avichal, an Army Corps commander for the Eaton Fire. 'And so there is definitely this notion of, you know, a lot of the stuff that we're able to recover will actually come back and help rebuild Altadena.' The agency said these operations have sped up recovery efforts, reduced waste going to landfills and helped lower the number of trucks on the road, but they've also sparked some worries. Residents have raised concerns that the work produces or kick up particles into the air. The Army Corps maintains they're ensuring operations are safe by monitoring air quality and continually watering the sites to minimize dust. Steel is an 'infinitely recyclable' material A large dump truck filled with wiry and garbled steel arrived at an Altadena golf course that had been partially burned. The metal pulled from fire-destroyed properties was compacted here before being trucked to a recycling facility where it can be melted, cast and resold. A steel beam can become a steel beam again, or be morphed into a car door or roof panel. Across the globe, the steel industry represents an estimated 8% of planet-warming emissions, and just 1 to 2 % in the U.S. — the fourth largest steel producer. And according to the American Iron and Steel Institute, a trade association, recycled steel doesn't lose its quality. Annually, some 60 to 80 million tons of steel scrap are recycled into new products in North America. Every refrigerator that's recycled reduces 215 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the group's estimates. 'Steel is infinitely recyclable,' said Adina Renee Adler, executive director of the Global Steel Climate Council, an industry group working to reduce carbon emissions. 'It is, in fact, the most recycled material out of everything that we have.' Adler hopes people who lost homes to the fires will feel a glimmer of hope knowing some of those materials will be given new life. That could be for somebody else, somewhere else, or to build their own homes anew. Recycling concrete has environmental perks The concrete that arrived to these sites is pulverized into large concrete chunks piled 10 feet (3.05 meters) high into inch-and-a-half and 3 inch pieces before being trucked to local construction materials companies. In its new form, concrete can be used to elevate ground in construction sites, for example, or provide a base layer before pavement is applied, or be used to create concrete again. Making concrete is responsible for roughly 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions and 2% in the U.S., most of which come from producing and processing its predecessor, cement. That's because coal and other fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases when burned, are the main energy sources for making cement, and the actual chemical reaction that occurs when producing it also releases planet-warming emissions, said Ben Skinner, a manager on the cement and concrete team with RMI, a group working to accelerate the clean energy transition. But recycling concrete doesn't substantially lower its carbon footprint, he added. It does, however, have 'great environmental impacts' because it reduces the extraction of new raw materials when it's turned into aggregate — stuff like sand or gravel used to make concrete — while still producing high quality material. It also keeps waste from going to landfills. Some trees could also be used in rebuilding Large trees were knocked onto homes and parkways from the same powerful winds that sent fires out of control, and the infernos scorched canopies. Trees that fell into ash get sent to landfills. Others that are still standing and pose a safety risk are cut down. Some logs are sent to local mills to be manufactured into lumber that can be used in the rebuilding process. Others are mulched to become soil amendment, the name for organic matter added to soil to improve its quality, then sold to companies and farmers, said Matthew Long, senior program manager for Environmental Chemical Corporation, the contractor running the operations. Long has done fire recovery work for nearly a decade — including in Hawaii after the Lahaina fires and other California blazes in 2017 and 2018. 'It's really rewarding work,' he said. 'You're interacting with someone who lost everything daily and helping them move to the next step of recovery.' ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit
Associated Press
4 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
LA fires charred homes into piles of metal and concrete. By recycling them, they're given new life
ALTADENA, Calif. (AP) — Candace Frazee recently walked through the burnt remains of The Bunny Museum, searching for anything that could be salvaged before workers cleared the land. The Eaton Fire in Southern California in January scorched more than 60,000 bunny objects and memorabilia, leaving behind mounds of ash, steel and concrete littered across the landscape. Giant bunny statues that once greeted guests were left just wiry, hollow skeletons. Her home in the back was also gone. Yet amid the debris, there are valuable materials being redeemed: Metal, concrete and some trees are being recycled and given new life. 'It's fantastic. It's absolutely fantastic,' said Frazee of recycling the materials, who co-founded the museum with her husband. 'That's the right thing to do.' After the Palisades and Eaton fires scorched entire neighborhoods, the Army Corps of Engineers set up operations to recycle concrete and metal from mostly fire-damaged homes. Metal is compacted and concrete is crushed, then trucked to recycling facilities before re-entering the supply chain for future uses. And some trees and shrubs are processed and sold. 'A lot of this material can be reused in future construction, and that's just good for the environment,' said Col. Sonny Avichal, an Army Corps commander for the Eaton Fire. 'And so there is definitely this notion of, you know, a lot of the stuff that we're able to recover will actually come back and help rebuild Altadena.' The agency said these operations have sped up recovery efforts, reduced waste going to landfills and helped lower the number of trucks on the road, but they've also sparked some worries. Residents have raised concerns that the work produces or kick up particles into the air. The Army Corps maintains they're ensuring operations are safe by monitoring air quality and continually watering the sites to minimize dust. Steel is an 'infinitely recyclable' material A large dump truck filled with wiry and garbled steel arrived at an Altadena golf course that had been partially burned. The metal pulled from fire-destroyed properties was compacted here before being trucked to a recycling facility where it can be melted, cast and resold. A steel beam can become a steel beam again, or be morphed into a car door or roof panel. Across the globe, the steel industry represents an estimated 8% of planet-warming emissions, and just 1 to 2 % in the U.S. — the fourth largest steel producer. And according to the American Iron and Steel Institute, a trade association, recycled steel doesn't lose its quality. Annually, some 60 to 80 million tons of steel scrap are recycled into new products in North America. Every refrigerator that's recycled reduces 215 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, according to the group's estimates. 'Steel is infinitely recyclable,' said Adina Renee Adler, executive director of the Global Steel Climate Council, an industry group working to reduce carbon emissions. 'It is, in fact, the most recycled material out of everything that we have.' Adler hopes people who lost homes to the fires will feel a glimmer of hope knowing some of those materials will be given new life. That could be for somebody else, somewhere else, or to build their own homes anew. Recycling concrete has environmental perks The concrete that arrived to these sites is pulverized into large concrete chunks piled 10 feet (3.05 meters) high into inch-and-a-half and 3 inch pieces before being trucked to local construction materials companies. In its new form, concrete can be used to elevate ground in construction sites, for example, or provide a base layer before pavement is applied, or be used to create concrete again. Making concrete is responsible for roughly 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions and 2% in the U.S., most of which come from producing and processing its predecessor, cement. That's because coal and other fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases when burned, are the main energy sources for making cement, and the actual chemical reaction that occurs when producing it also releases planet-warming emissions, said Ben Skinner, a manager on the cement and concrete team with RMI, a group working to accelerate the clean energy transition. But recycling concrete doesn't substantially lower its carbon footprint, he added. It does, however, have 'great environmental impacts' because it reduces the extraction of new raw materials when it's turned into aggregate — stuff like sand or gravel used to make concrete — while still producing high quality material. It also keeps waste from going to landfills. Some trees could also be used in rebuilding Large trees were knocked onto homes and parkways from the same powerful winds that sent fires out of control, and the infernos scorched canopies. Trees that fell into ash get sent to landfills. Others that are still standing and pose a safety risk are cut down. Some logs are sent to local mills to be manufactured into lumber that can be used in the rebuilding process. Others are mulched to become soil amendment, the name for organic matter added to soil to improve its quality, then sold to companies and farmers, said Matthew Long, senior program manager for Environmental Chemical Corporation, the contractor running the operations. Long has done fire recovery work for nearly a decade — including in Hawaii after the Lahaina fires and other California blazes in 2017 and 2018. 'It's really rewarding work,' he said. 'You're interacting with someone who lost everything daily and helping them move to the next step of recovery.' ___ The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP's environmental coverage, visit
Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Unhinged son Justin Mohn learns fate for decapitating father in live YouTube video
Unhinged son and conspiracy theorist Justin Mohn has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his father and showing the decapitated head in a YouTube video. Justin Mohn, 33, murdered and decapitated his father, Michael Mohn, 68, in January 2024 and left the body in their Levittown home, which is a suburb outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After the brutal slaying, Mohn held his father's head in a YouTube video and called for violent attacks against federal officials. His father served in the Army and was a federal employee with the Army Corps of Engineers. A year and a half later, Mohn has learned his fate for the stomach-churning crimes as Common Pleas Judge Stephen A. Corr delivered the verdict of guilty for first-degree murder on Friday. Mohn was also convicted of terrorism, marking the first defendant found guilty of the charges in Pennsylvania, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office. In addition, the unhinged son was convicted of possession of a weapon, criminal use of a communication facility, terroristic threats, defiant trespassing, and abuse of a corpse. Prosecutors presented evidence, including the YouTube video, which was taken down hours after Mohn posted it, DNA evidence, testimony from over 15 witnesses, the son's handwritten letters from jail confessing to the crime, and a disturbing online search history. 'This case is about how Justin Mohn assassinated his father and callously used him as a prop to force the government to meet his demands,' Deputy District Attorney Ashley Towhey said in her opening statements. Powerful testimonies Mohn's mother, Denice, delivered a powerful testimony in court, noting that her husband was a loving and supportive father to their children. Denice found her husband's 'crumpled' body in their home after she returned from work on January 30. She screamed when she saw her dead husband, prompting neighbor Jim Carnley to run to the home. Carnley made the grim discovery that Michael was decapitated and called 911. The audio was played in court and revealed the disturbing screams from Denice in the background. When Middletown Township Police arrived on the scene, they found the decapitated head in the bathroom with a machete and a large knife nearby. An autopsy later revealed that Michael was first shot in the head before he was decapitated. There were no signs of defensive injuries. 'I am tortured at knowing what Justin was capable of doing to his father, who had unconditional love for him,' Denice's victim impact statement read. 'I hope Justin is never given another opportunity in his life to hurt anyone else or to distribute his hateful ideologies.' She testified that her son struggled to find employment, so she and her husband allowed him to stay in her home. Denice added that Mohn blamed the federal government for his inability to hold down a job. Mohn's sister, Stephanie, read a victim impact statement before his sentencing, telling the court, 'My whole family feels violated by the defendant's extremely calculated and premeditated betrayal and from the posting of the horrifying video that he published online for thousands to see.' 'The awareness that my own brother is capable of such atrocities is terrifying; that person we grew up with is long gone.' Mohn's brother, Zachary, spoke to his parents' 'strong set of values' and said that they consistently provided for their children. 'For him to target my father despite of all that compassion showed he did not care what he did to the world or to others,' Zachary said. 'Any show of remorse would be an appeal to emotions he doesn't feel, beyond them being used as a lever for his manipulation.' Shocking evidence Evidence was presented in court to demonstrate Mohn's violent intentions and premeditation. First Assistant District Attorney Edward Louka stated in his closing arguments that Mohn's disturbing pattern of violence extended beyond the chilling YouTube video. Letters found at the crime scene and an online history detailing extremist beliefs were used to illustrate Mohn's 'calculated intent.' Bucks County Detective Eric Landamia testified that investigators found evidence that Mohn was planning a violent attack for five years. Detectives found a 'battle plan' belonging to Mohn that included instructions for building explosives and a list of potential targets he believed were 'traitors.' The explosive evidence detailed Mohn's sick intentions to target federal judges and politicians who went against his agenda as a 'white, straight, Christian male.' A shocking 'to-do list' was also presented in the trial, where Mohn directly referenced killing his father. The YouTube video was played in court, revealing Mohn's unhinged grievances against the government. He claimed that he was the leader of 'Mohn's Militia' and called for a 'revolution,' inciting violence against federal employees. Mohn's defense Mohn testified in the trial, claiming that he didn't mean to kill his father, but only wanted to perform a citizen's arrest. He said that his father committed treason against his country. Mohn said that the altercation escalated when his father threatened to kill him. He did confess to shooting his father and using a kitchen knife and a machete to decapitate Michael on the stand. Prosecutors dismissed his defense, with First Assistant District Attorney Edward Louka calling Mohn's testimony 'complete and utter nonsense.' 'He [Mohn] ambushed his dad when he was most vulnerable … he walked in and executed him,' Louka argued. 'His plan was to murder a longtime federal employee, his father, and order the murder of other federal employees for his warped belief that the government adopt his policies above all else.' Mohn was given an opportunity to show remorse, but he declined, blaming his failures once again on the federal government. 'I don't feel guilty for what I did, but I am sorry my family went through what they did because of the federal government's actions and my reaction to it,' he said. Mohn also gave a cryptic warning to Judge Corr, telling him that he would be judged when he met God. After the verdict, Mohn said it was 'not the outcome I wanted, but it's okay,' Levittown Now reported. Mohn's defense attorney, Steve Jones, spoke to reporters outside the courtroom. He called the facts of the case 'horrendous.' 'But the key takeaway is that Justin is still alive,' Jones said, adding that the defense team prevented the prosecution from seeking the death penalty. During the trial, Jones slipped a note to Mohn, prompting the haphazard apology on the stand. When asked whether Jones pushed Mohn to apologize, the defense attorney replied, 'Whether or not he was going to apologize for anything, any remorse that he might've felt, that was up to Justin, and Justin made his feelings known in court.' Jones told reporters that Mohn was 'serious about everything he did.' He said that his team would continue to represent Mohn if he decides to appeal the decision. Jones praised Judge Corrs and said the defense respected the court's decision. He added that Mohn has 'some real mental health issues.' 'The conviction of Justin Mohn closes a dark chapter, but the scars left by his monstrous actions will undoubtedly remain,' District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said in a statement. 'This conviction reflects the tireless efforts of law enforcement and our dedicated prosecution team, who meticulously pieced together the layers of this disturbing case to ensure accountability for these horrific crimes,' the statement continued. 'While we cannot undo the pain inflicted, we hope this verdict provides some measure of justice and closure for Michael Mohn's family.'
Washington Post
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Norfolk wants protection from future flooding. Agreeing on how isn't easy.
After residents of Norfolk's historic Freemason neighborhood objected to proposed floodwalls snaking through their community, blocking river views, potentially depressing property values and leaving condominium buildings exposed, staff members from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers walked the planned path with local leaders in January. Jack Kavanaugh, a retired admiral who heads the neighborhood civic league, said he was encouraged when an Army Corps official assured residents that 'we're not going to do anything that is stupid or anything that Norfolk is really going to scream about.' As details about the plan to protect the city from major storms and hurricanes have become clear to residents, the cost has risen and the beginning of construction has been pushed back, clouding the future of the project. A month after the walk, Norfolk's city manager, Pat Roberts, sent the Army Corps a 57-page report completed by consultants and engineers at a cost of $180,000 that explored changes, including abandoning some of the planned walls and building a surge barrier in the Elizabeth River on the southern edge of the neighborhood. 'The current proposed alignment has been met with widespread skepticism and opposition, and we are, therefore, requesting that USACE investigate alternative alignments,' he wrote in an email. Organizing by residents of Freemason against the proposed floodwall is one of a number of challenges facing the $2.66 billion Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Project. Questions about the state helping fund Norfolk's 35 percent local share — $931 million over a decade under the current cost estimate — have grown louder after the Virginia General Assembly declined the city's 2026 appropriations request. Two years ago, after residents of historically Black, lower-income neighborhoods protested that no floodwalls were planned for their communities, the City Council passed a resolution requesting the Army Corps reconsider. But that study has not been funded. Meanwhile, environmental groups have complained that the agency has shut them out of discussions about a water quality study on the effects of the plan. Roberts has said that without changes, the city will not fund its share of the project. 'The Corps has the final say on design,' he said. 'We have the final say whether or not we build it. … There has to be a consensus that it's the right design.' Norfolk is one of several cities discovering that residents and environmental groups are rebelling against waterfront walls and the effects of miles of concrete barriers on natural systems. But the city is in a bind. Miami and New York have declined to sign partnership agreements with the Army Corps, rejecting plans that called for miles of concrete walls, sending the agency back to create new designs focused on softer, nature-based solutions. However, Norfolk's City Council in 2023 unanimously approved a partnership agreement for the largest infrastructure project in the city's history. The agreement codifies a plan that will reshape the city, with more than eight miles of walls as high as 16 feet along its wealthiest neighborhoods and across the Lafayette River, and solutions such as house raisings, oyster reefs and shorelines planted with grasses in other areas. Eleven gates in the walls would allow for tidal flushing and be closed during storms. Ten pump stations would clear stormwater. The Freemason changes and others sought by the city, including transforming a levee protecting the downtown park into a floodwall close to a major office building, may not be feasible, will be time-consuming and could be more expensive. If the city's requests significantly increase the cost, the Army Corps can label them 'betterments' and require Norfolk to pay the difference, not just its 35 percent share. That increased expense and delay would come as city officials and the Army Corps told the City Council in May that the cost would rise and completion of the project would be pushed back five years to 2037. The first phase of construction, a wall protecting the city's minor league ballpark and a casino, is not set to begin until 2027. A study to update the overall cost isn't scheduled for completion until 2028 and is necessary because the project now exceeds what Congress authorized in 2020. Norfolk's plan is the first of the Army Corps' proposed storm risk projects nationwide to edge toward construction. Without the project, the Army Corps says all but a sliver of the city's interior would be at risk for flooding from a major storm by 2075. Once completed, Norfolk will reap annual net benefits of $122 million from reduced damage to businesses, homes and critical infrastructure, including health care facilities, according to the Army Corps' study. Michelle Hamor, chief of policy and planning for the Army Corps' Norfolk district, said in an interview that for the agency to consider significant alterations such as putting the floodwall in the Elizabeth River, it would need to fund a change study that could take four years and cost up to $5 million. According to an Army Corps spokesman, the feasibility study completed in 2019 did not examine constructing a wall in the river because Congress requires Army Corps projects to protect against unavoidable damage to natural systems. Paul Olsen, an engineer who led the Norfolk district of the Army Corps until 2015 and initiated the feasibility study, backs the plan including the wall's path through the Freemason neighborhood. But he said in an interview that constructing a wall in the river would have 'massive complexities,' making it difficult to justify. The river is a federal navigation channel. Large ships must pass through to the shipyards. Engineering a wall that can withstand a barge impact during a storm, an Army Corps requirement, would be expensive. An environmental-impact statement, which costs millions and takes years, would be necessary. 'Putting it in the river, that's not sound engineering professionally, in my opinion,' said Olsen, who now is a consultant and president of Honor Builders, an engineering firm specializing in sea-level rise. 'That wouldn't be cost-effective, and we never would have gotten the project if we went with that.' The city's report, labeled a draft when sent to the Army Corps, comes six years after the publication of the feasibility study outlining the wall alignment in Freemason and along the downtown. For the first time, it includes graphics showing how the wall would affect street-level views on the neighborhood's waterfront. The report says the alignment would cut off access to residential buildings when gates are closed during a storm, probably spawn lawsuits over necessary easements and face the expense of mitigating dozens of utility conflicts. Freemason residents, like others throughout the city, said they were unaware of the wall's details until a briefing by the city's Office of Resilience at a civic league meeting last summer. They quickly began organizing. About 175 people attended a September meeting where they voiced their displeasure. City officials heard them. 'I get that [Olsen] says the thing in the water doesn't work, but we want them to take a hard look at that,' Roberts said. Courtney Doyle and Jeremy McGee, the two council members whose wards cover the neighborhood, said in an interview that they would only support a wall in the river. Mayor Kenneth Alexander (D), at the conclusion of an update about the plan during a City Council meeting, said if the Army Corps found the city's river option was not feasible, 'it's a problem.' While opponents in the wealthy Freemason neighborhood are opposed to the plan for walls, residents on the city's lower-income, largely Black south side have demanded floodwalls to protect their neighborhoods after learning the Army Corps' feasibility study said they were not justified through a cost-benefit analysis, which focuses on property values. They note that values there have been depressed over the years because of redlining. 'Looking forward, it feels really bleak,' said Kim Sudderth, a community activist. 'We're told that everyone's working really hard to get the request into some form of a bill or funding sources. But it seems like everything they try just doesn't quite pan out.' Environmental groups are complaining about being left out by the Army Corps. 'We're not being taken seriously at all, and our concerns clearly have zero bearing on this project,' said Mary-Carson Stiff, executive director of Wetlands Watch, a local environmental group. Stiff is concerned that Army Corps staffers said they have not determined how often gates in the walls and the river surge barriers will be closed during tidal and rain flooding as well as during storms, altering the water flow. Without determining that, meaningful environmental modeling can't be done. 'If you're still in the design phase, all of your environmental work should be discounted,' she added. Norfolk also faces a funding challenge. Roberts has said repeatedly that the city will not move forward without half its share funded by the state. Norfolk received $25 million in each of 2024 and 2025 from the General Assembly, but nothing for 2026. Because construction has not begun, that money, plus the city's contribution, has covered costs so far. Norfolk is the first Virginian city to partner with the Army Corps, but feasibility studies are moving forward for Hampton and Newport News, Northern Virginia, and Virginia Beach, where the price tag is expected to dwarf the cost in Norfolk. But the commonwealth has no plan to help fund the projects. The General Assembly passed a bill this year authorizing a three-year study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to create criteria for state contributions to the local share. Whether state funds will flow to Norfolk during those years is unclear. Steve Sigmon is a financial planner who has lived in the Freemason neighborhood for two decades. He spoke against the wall at the September meeting and later joined the group walking the wall's path with Kavanaugh, the neighborhood civic league head, and Army Corps officials. Views of the water from his home would be blocked by the proposed wall. He's hoping the city and the Army Corps can find a solution that provides a template for other cities facing similar pushbacks. 'There is a win-win to be found here,' he said. 'Norfolk gets federal funds to help a project to protect the city. Who doesn't want that? At the same time, the Army Corps can demonstrate to other municipalities that it can pivot when valid concerns arise and work with folks. It could be the poster child of a successful relationship.'
CBS News
07-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
Old military devices found near Maryland airport, explosives investigators respond
Old military devices were found near a small airport in Maryland Monday, prompting a response from Fire, Arson and Explosions investigators. The military ordnances were found by contractors who were digging near Tipton Airport in Anne Arundel County, according to police. The contractors found the unidentified devices and called law enforcement. Officials are waiting for the Department of Defense (DoD) to identify the devices and determine if they are safe to be removed. What is a military ordnance? Military ordnances can include supplies like weapons, ammunition or other tools, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Some sites that held old military devices were given up to be used for other purposes. The DoD works to identify the formerly used defense sites, or FUDS, and take inventory of the potential ordinances. Some of these sites are listed for cleanup efforts, according to the EPA. "While some sites are fairly small, others may cover dozens or even hundreds of square miles in area," the EPA said. Military ordnance sites According to a map of identified FUDS compiled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the closest site is located in Fort Meade, about six miles from Tipton Airport. According to the map, Tipton Airport has not been identified as a FUDS. The old military devices can sometimes contaminate the soil and groundwater in the area where they are found, according to the EPA. This is because the devices can contain explosives, heavy metals, or in some cases, chemical warfare agents. The materials can come from partially detonated or decomposing ordnances or explosives from training or testing activities. According to the EPA website, the biggest concern when recovering these items is the potential for detonation, depending on the type of device. "Fatalities and severe injuries have resulted from citizens accidentally exposed to military munitions or from people deliberately removing military munitions for souvenirs or other use. A number of chemical exposures with associated health effects have also been reported, some related to chemical warfare agents," the ETA said on its website.
