Unplanned Explosions

• Main Author: At Munitions Sites
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: number of UN; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.395.8799; http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/H-Research_Notes/SAS-Research-Note-6-updated.pdf

Considerable attention has been paid to the threats posed by small arms and light weapons proliferation and misuse, but far less is known about the dangers inherent in poorly stored or mishandled munitions. 1 A single unplanned explosion at a munitions site can claim dozens of lives, injure hundreds, and displace thousands of people. 2 The damage to infrastructure can be extensive, covering many square kilometres. In addition, the loss of economic activity can exceed tens of millions of dollars and have long-term ramifications on livelihoods and the environment. 3 Unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS) are a global problem. Since 1998, incidents of this nature have been reported in more than one-third of UN member states and on every continent except Australia and Antarctica