Explosives and propellant compounds are significant environmental pollutants that contaminate soil, water and air, and they demand a powerful analytical technique such as liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Contamination from various sources, including mining and military activities, has spread nitroaromatic compounds such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene and its degradation products and byproducts to soil. While explosives and energetic compounds rapidly decompose in heat and gas, secondary explosives—such as trinitrotoluene (TNT), hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (royal demolition explosive, known as RDX), octogen (high melting explosive, known as HMX) and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN)—are thermally stable, persistent and difficult to dissolve.¹ For example, during 1918–1967, about 8,200 tons of TNT was dumped into the lakes of Thun, Brienz and Lucerne in Switzerland, and its presence was still detected many years later.² In another instance, in 2008, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP) detected perchlorate in several drinking water sources contaminated by nearby blasting activities.³

While the environmental threat of these contaminants is still being widely studied,^4-5 it is important for environmental scientists and regulators to monitor for them in soil and water. However, concentrations of explosives in soil and water are very low and widely distributed, which makes testing a challenge.

This is where LC-MS/MS comes into play.

Identify and quantify explosives in the environment 

One of the reasons LC-MS/MS is an ideal technique for handling these types of compounds is that it is highly sensitive, which enables it to effectively screen for and distinctively identify isomers in explosive-contaminated areas. LC-MS/MS methods are also highly reproducible and offer a lower limit of detection so you can successfully quantify explosives in the environment. In addition, with SCIEX solutions, you have a team of experts who can work with you to develop robust methods for testing a wide range of matrix samples such as soil, tap water, wastewater and river water. LC-MS/MS systems from SCIEX equip you with the tools you need to take charge of explosive analysis.

1. Juhasz, A. L.; Naidu, R. Explosives: Fate, Dynamics, and Ecological Impact in Terrestrial and Marine Environments. In Reviews of environmental contamination and toxicology; Springer, 2007; pp. 163–215. doi: 10.1007/978-0-387-69163-3_6
2. Van Stuijvenberg et al. Gefährdungsabschätzung zu Militärische Munitionsversenkungen in Schweizer Seen, Generalsekretariat VBS, September 2005. 
   
3. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Potential environmental contamination from the use of perchlorate-containing explosive products, 2008.https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/12/28/Potential%20Environmental%20Contamination%20from%20the%20Use%20of%20Perchlorate.pdf (accessed July 28, 2020)
4. Lima, D. R.; Bezerra, M. L.; Neves, E. B.; Moreira, F. R. Impact of ammunition and military explosives on human health and the environment. Reviews on environmental health 2011, 26(2), 101-110. doi: 10.1515/reveh.2011.014
5. Panz, K.; Miksch, K.; Sójka, T. Synergetic toxic effect of an explosive material mixture in soil. Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology 2013, 91(5), 555–559. doi: 10.1007/s00128-013-1090-8