Saturday, October 11, 2014

Spill Containment Berms Are Vital Equipment When Dealing With Chemicals

By Jocelyn Davidson


Mankind use millions of tons of potentially harmful chemicals every year. Greed and carelessness often result in the handling and transport of chemicals without proper safety precautions being put in place. Spills occur frequently and have already caused immense damage to the environment. Cleaning up the mess is difficult and expensive and by the time cleaning operations are launched it is often too late. It is absolutely vital to have equipment such as spill containment berms when handling or using such chemicals.

While a berm is a vital piece of equipment that can do much to help the pollution from spreading, it is only the first step in a cleaning up operation. The polluting agents need to be neutralized and removed from the immediate area. It then has to be taken to a disposal site. This is often easier said than done. Access to the pollution site is often problematic because it may be remote or the terrain may be rough.

The dangers of pollution have luckily not been ignored by scientists. There is ongoing research in developing new ways in which to clean up pollution. New agents that show much promise have been developed. Some of these agents are able to absorb the spilled substances while others speed up the natural degrading process. Once these agents have done their work the pollutants can be removed for safe disposal elsewhere.

Efforts to find new solutions continue unabated. One extremely promising development is a new agent that is able to absorb a large variety of pollutants. Once absorbed, the pollutants combine with the agent to create a totally new substance that is harmless. This substance can then be removed safely. As an added bonus this substance can be used in the manufacture of various rubber products and it is even used in creating new road surfaces.

There are some cases where the pollutant simply cannot be absorbed, degraded or transformed. In such instances special equipment is often utilized to agitate the polluted water in order to separate the water and the pollutants. This can be achieved because they have different consistencies. The pollutants are then sucked or pumped into special containers and removed for disposal.

Lack of funds and resources necessitate that cleaning operations are prioritized. There is also a critical shortage of personnel that are properly trained in this field. In most instances pollution incidents in rough seas, sparsely populated areas and terrain that are difficult to access are disregarded. The available resources are rather employed when incidents occur at popular tourist attractions, areas that are densely populated and environmentally sensitive areas.

Organizations that handle chemicals and other dangerous substances should realize that there is always a risk that an accident can occur. They need to take steps not only to prevent such accidents, but also to make plans on how to deal with emergencies. This means that such organizations need to have a formal policy in this regard. Training and the availability of suitable equipment should also be a high priority.

Scientists and environmentalists have long warned that the planet simply cannot cope with the abuse it is receiving for much longer. When chemicals and other poisons are spilled they can cause tremendous harm to the environment. It is the duty of everyone involved in this industry to do whatever is possible to prevent catastrophic incidents that inevitably devastate sensitive eco systems.




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