The Ticking Brownfield Timebomb: BACTEC survey exposes flaws in non-intrusive magnetometry to detect buried ordnance

The detection of potential unexploded ordnance (UXO) is critical to the safe development of some sites in many parts of the UK. Intrusive and non-intrusive surveys are not capable of detecting explosives but are used to detect buried objects that may be casings of potential UXO and warrant further investigation. Yet Clearance Certificates or risk reduction reports issued by some UK Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) contractors may be meaningless, having failed to assess and recognize the limitations of their survey equipment. EOD specialist BACTEC International explains why and calls on the industry to abandon the use of non-intrusive surveys on brownfield sites when it is clear that a distinction cannot be made between made ground with ferrous contamination and a buried unexploded bomb (UXB), and that the survey cannot penetrate or filter out the contamination to provide accurate survey results to identify deeper UXBs.

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