Lithuanian territories contaminated with explosives: case study of Kaunas

Public security is caused by various factors: from crime prevention to global security needs. Public security includes public relations regarding liquidation of dangerous consequences for human health and lives caused by criminal offences and natural disasters and elimination of reasons causing such consequences. According to A. Maslow, security is a primal need arising after struggle for survival; thus, other needs can be satisfied only after meeting the security need. The First and the Second World Wars as well as dislocation places of Russian military forces are the main reasons of Lithuanian territories contamination with explosives. Military conflicts and armed struggle are key factors in discussion regarding contaminated territories all over the world. Lithuanian territories contamination with explosives has been still a relevant problem because news is coming in of human encountering explosives remaining from war that was 70 year ago. These findings are threatening public security, health and life. Danger to security occurs due to the fact that explosives can be hit while digging ground and sometimes people do not recognize explosives or think that they are not dangerous. These thoughts can be denied by the numbers of dead or injured people, who treated war findings without precaution. Therefore, the aim of this article – to discuss influence of contaminated territories with explosives on public security. In order to do this, the following objectives are identified: to discuss the concept of explosives and the risk to public; to describe the relevance of the problem in other countries in the world; to estimate the relevance of the problem of contamination with explosives in Kaunas city and Kaunas district. In order to discuss the danger of remaining explosives from war to public, concepts of explosive and explosions are described as well as danger of unexploded ordnances and their occurrences in Kaunas city and Kaunas district. These territories were chosen due to the fact that battles of the First and the Second World Wars took place more or less in these territories; in addition, separate German military troops and Russian military forces were dislocated there