Saturday, December 7, 2013

The Many Benefits Of Using A Spill Containment Berm

By Leanne Goff


Modern society depends upon all types and kinds of chemicals to survive. Unfortunately, most of these are potentially harmful to the environment and even to human health. That is why it is so vital to take every precaution when handling or transporting these toxins and chemicals. It is imperative to be prepared for accidents and a spill containment berm is one of the most important first line defenses.

This type of equipment can do much to prevent the pollutants from spreading. However, containing the toxins and chemicals is only the very first step in dealing with the problem. Once the pollutants are contained, it needs to be removed, transported to a disposal facility and disposed of in a safe manner. For each of these phases different types of equipment is required.

Rendering pollutants harmless is perhaps one of the biggest challenges. New technology has witnessed the birth of special agents that are able to accelerate the natural degrading of the chemicals or to actually absorb the pollutants as part of the cleaning agents. Once this process is completed the resultant mass can be removed and taken to a place that is suitable to dispose of the entire mass of both pollutants and the agents containing it.

One of the most exciting new developments is the development of new agents that not only neutralizes the pollutants, but also renders them into a product that can actually be used to manufacture a variety of asphalt and rubber products. In this way many pollutants are becoming part of road surfaces, tyres and even other rubber products. This, of course, is a win win situation and holds much promise for the future.

There are some pollutants that simply cannot be neutralized by the use of modern agents. This is because they are unable to bio degrade. In such cases specialized machinery is necessary to separate the pollutants from the water. This is done in much the same way as milk is separated from cream. The toxins are then vacuumed into containers which can be removed to safe sites for disposal purposes.

It is a sad fact that the cleaning and management of chemical and toxic spills are both time consuming and extremely expensive. Most governments, both local and national, have therefore developed protocols whereby incidents are prioritized. Pollution at remote sites or at coastal sites where there is strong wave activity is not seen as a priority. Heavily populated areas, tourism hot spots and environmentally sensitive areas receive the highest priority.

Every company or person that deals with potentially harmful materials should be ready and prepared to deal with disasters. It is imperative that proper policies are in place in case of accidents. Training of crews dealing with such chemicals should be a very high priority. Of course, it is imperative that all crews dealing with toxins and harmful chemicals are equipped with the means to deal with accidents.

Having a spill containment berm available whenever and wherever chemicals and toxins are handled is nothing other but a responsible approach. This type of equipment can lay a vital role in making sure that accidents are limited in terms of the area that is contaminated. The quicker teams can act and the better they are equipped, the better the chances of preventing serious environmental damage.




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