Amidst the debris..

Those that remain in, or return to areas subject to heavy and prolonged fighting, or those involved
in the civil defence forces may well face persistent exposures. Efforts should therefore be made
to determine concentrations of substances in these environments and the extent to which civilians
have been exposed. Without accurate pre-conflict baseline data for metals like Pb that may
have a non-military source, identifying the footprint of the conflict will be impossible. However,
identifying military-use substances, such as some persistent energetics and metals, could help
indicate areas where military contamination was present.
Exposure scenarios that should be borne in mind in any future environmental or public health
assessment into the footprint of weapons-based contamination include:
! Exposure to contaminated conflict rubble.
! Exposure to contaminated water sources.
! Exposure for those working in or living in proximity to DIY munition factories.
! Exposures from collecting and processing military scrap metal or for those
living in proximity to scrap storage areas.
! Re-use of contaminated land for agriculture or drinking water around damaged
ammunition storage areas.
Historically, a lack of field access and the cost of analysis for contaminants have limited our
understanding of the health and environmental risks that weapons residues may pose in post-conflict
settings. New methodologies are required to remedy this and the range of actors able to record data
should be increased. This includes civilians who, by utilising new technologies and smart phones
could assist with the identification of hazards and the gathering data on contaminants 195 . !
58 PAX ! Amidst the debris...