A Hidden Blast Zone: How Cape Canaveral’s Open Burn and Open Detonation Units Keep Rocket Fuel, and Risk, on the Shoreline
By Stel Bailey | Investigative report based on government records, technical fact sheets, and oversight reports.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - Cape Canaveral Space Force Station operates active Open Burn (OB) and Open Detonation (OD) ranges, facilities where excess munitions, rocket motors, and other explosive wastes are thermally treated or detonated in the open air. Those activities release a cocktail of hazardous byproducts into the environment, including perchlorate, a persistent rocket-fuel chemical linked to thyroid disruption in infants and pregnant women. This report compiles government permits, federal technical guidance, and oversight testimony to show what is burned and detonated on site, how perchlorate has been handled historically near launch complexes, and why gaps in federal tracking and regulation matter for public health. DENIX+1
Reviewed (methodology)
I examined official installation documents and federal records, including an operational range assessment and range permit describing the Cape Canaveral OB/OD footprint and treatment units, EPA and federal technical fact sheets on perchlorate, and U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports and testimony on Department of Defense contamination and perchlorate oversight. Where possible, I cross-checked contaminant lists with range permits and federal contaminant fact sheets to assemble a rounded picture of disposal practices and associated risks. Key documents reviewed are cited throughout. EPA+3DENIX+3cswab.org+3
Quick findings — what’s being disposed of on the range
Official operational materials and permitting documents identify both open burning thermal units and an open detonation area at Cape Canaveral, used for routine EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) training and the destruction of excess munitions. The installation’s range complex contains multiple treatment units and an OD safety zone that extends seaward of the site. DENIX+1
Permit and operational records list a long roster of energetic compounds and associated inorganic residues historically present at OB/OD ranges, including: HMX, RDX, TNT and multiple dinitrotoluene isomers, nitrotoluenes, nitrobenzene, nitroglycerin, PETN, nitrate and nitrite species, and inorganic constituents such as arsenic, lead, chromium, cadmium, copper, barium, and perchlorate. These materials, when detonated or burned in the open, form emissions and solid residues that can deposit on soil, enter groundwater, and travel via wind or surface run-off. cswab.org+1
Contaminants Disposed of at Cape Canaveral’s Open Burn/Detonation Units
| Energetic Compounds | Inorganic Metals | Other Wastes |
|---|---|---|
| HMX | Arsenic | Nitrate |
| RDX | Lead | Nitrite |
| 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (1,3,5-TNB) | Selenium | Sulfate |
| Methyl-2,4,6-trinitrophenylnitramine | Potassium | Diethyl phthalate |
| 1,3-dinitrobenzene (1,3-DNB) | Titanium | Perchlorate |
| Nitrobenzene | Magnesium | |
| 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (2,4,6-TNT) | Barium | |
| 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4-Am-DNT) | Vanadium | |
| 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-Am-DNT) | Chromium | |
| 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) | Cadmium | |
| 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT) | Copper | |
| 2-nitrotoluene (2-NT) | Aluminum | |
| 3-nitrotoluene (3-NT) | ||
| 4-nitrotoluene (4-NT) | ||
| Nitroglycerin | ||
| PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) |
Perchlorate: history, use and health concerns
Perchlorate (ClO4⁻) is widely used in solid rocket propellants and explosives and has been manufactured for defense and aerospace purposes since the 1940s. Federal agency technical guidance describes perchlorate as persistent and mobile in the environment and identifies drinking-water ingestion as the primary human exposure pathway. Scientific and public-health reporting has repeatedly linked perchlorate exposure to interference with iodide uptake by the thyroid, a critical pathway for fetal and infant neurological development — making low-level exposure a particular concern for pregnant people and young children. EPA+2US EPA+2
The federal oversight problem the records reveal
GAO and other oversight documents show that EPA and the Department of Defense have routinely struggled with how to track perchlorate findings across federal installations. For example, GAO reported that EPA asked Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to sample groundwater near launch complexes, but the Department of the Air Force declined broader follow-up sampling in some cases until the federal perchlorate standard was defined, a decision GAO flagged as problematic for routine national tracking and response. More generally, EPA does not centrally track all perchlorate detections or cleanup progress because states and other federal agencies are not uniformly required to report such findings to EPA under many programs. That patchwork reporting regime leaves public-health managers and local residents with uneven information about contamination and remedial status. Government Accountability Office+1
Why open burn/open detonation matters here
Open burning and detonation are intentionally uncontrolled thermal processes. Unlike contained incineration with filtered emissions, OB/OD disperses combustion and detonation byproducts into the atmosphere and onto surrounding surfaces. When munitions or rocket motor residues contain perchlorate and chlorinated oxidizers, each detonation or burn is a potential source of perchlorate deposition to soil and groundwater. Range permits and assessments indicate regular use of the Cape Canaveral OB/OD facilities for training and emergency disposal, meaning the scale is not merely historical but ongoing. DENIX+1
Public-health implications and unanswered questions
Taken together, the documents show three practical concerns for communities near Cape Canaveral and similar installations:
- Persistent sources: Perchlorate and heavy metals listed in range inventories do not readily disappear; they migrate or persist in soil and water and require active monitoring and, in some cases, remediation. EPA
- Monitoring gaps: Federal oversight records reveal that routine, centralized reporting of perchlorate detections is incomplete; states and other agencies often retain primary responsibility for tracking and action. That fragmentation can delay detection of a problem or limit public access to full data. Government Accountability Office
- Operational tradeoffs: The military’s need to safely destroy obsolete munitions and train EOD personnel is real. But the environmental costs of open-air disposal — and whether alternative, less-emissive technologies are used consistently — deserve public scrutiny and transparent monitoring. DENIX
What I could not find in the public record (and what to ask next)
Documents reviewed provide clear inventories and range descriptions, oversight testimony, and federal technical guidance, but public records are less clear on recent, routine environmental sampling results for groundwater and nearby public water systems specifically tied to Cape Canaveral’s OB/OD operations. To assess current risk, public officials and residents should ask the installation and relevant state agencies for:
- The most recent groundwater and surface-water perchlorate sampling results within and downgradient of the EOD range;
- A timeline of OB/OD activities (frequency and quantities disposed) in the past five years; and
- Any monitoring plans or remedial actions completed or planned for perchlorate and the heavy metals listed in the range inventories.
Bottom line
Cape Canaveral’s open burn and open detonation practices are a functional part of range operations, but they carry environmental legacies, notably perchlorate and other energetic residues, that require clear, routine monitoring and public reporting. Federal technical guidance and GAO oversight highlight both the health stakes and the regulatory gaps that complicate detection and response. Where defense readiness meets environmental protection, transparency, and up-to-date sampling are the minimum public goods communities should expect. EPA+2Government Accountability Office+2
Key sources and records consulted
- Cape Canaveral operational range assessment and EOD range description. DENIX
- Cape Canaveral Open Burn / Open Detonation permit and related site permit documents. cswab.org
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Technical Fact Sheet: Perchlorate (January 2014). EPA
- U.S. Government Accountability Office — testimony/report on DOD contamination and perchlorate (GAO-07-1042T; GAO-05-462). GovInfo+1
- Environmental Working Group / CDC coverage on perchlorate detection and health concerns. EWG
