Saturday, March 8, 2014

How Containment Berms Can Help Prevent Spills To Spread

By Jaclyn Hurley


Vast quantities of toxic substances and poisons are manufactured each year and millions of tons of it is transported by rail, sea or by road annually. It comes as no surprise to learn that spills regularly occur, poisoning the immediate area and creating an emergency situation for the environment and humans alike. Limiting the area polluted by a spill is the very first priority, and this is where containment berms have proved invaluable.

When a spill occurs, the first and most urgent priority is to take steps to prevent that the spill spreads. However, this is only the first step in a process that can be complicated, dangerous and time consuming. In many cases it is necessary to deal with the spilled toxins in adverse conditions and specialist equipment and trained staff is not always readily available.

Much research has been done on the issue of toxic spills and chemical waste. The best solution is to render the chemicals harmless. Modern science has produced special agents that can accelerate the natural breakdown of toxins. There are other agents that are specially designed to actually absorb the toxins, allowing cleaning crews to safely transport the waste to a disposal facility. Unfortunately, these agents do not work with all types of chemicals.

There are other developments that hold much promise. One such is a new agent that not only absorb the spilled chemicals, but that also changes the molecular structure of the harmful substance. The use of this agent results in a relatively harmless mass that has many other uses, such as the manufacture of road surfaces and several rubber products. In this way the cost of cleaning operations is drastically reduced.

Despite scientific progress there are still some chemicals and toxins that simply cannot be rendered harmless. This is especially the case with spills in large bodies of water. In such cases the only solution is to agitate the water and to separate the chemicals from the water. The chemicals will rise to the top and can then be skimmed off into large containers.

The exorbitant cost of cleaning operations has forced the authorities to prioritize. It is simply not possible to pay attention to every spill due to too few trained specialists and too few resources. That is why the focus is upon areas that are of historical or natural importance, heavily populated areas and natural environments that are sensitive. Spills in remote areas or in seas with vigorous wave patterns are often ignored.

Experts agree that legislation regulating the manufacture, transport and general handling of toxins and other harmful chemicals should be better regulated. All companies involved in this industry should employ trained cleaning crews and preventive measures should be put in place when these chemicals are transported. Equipment such as berms that can be used to contain spills should also be mandatory.

Pollution, especially pollution by toxins and harmful chemicals has already cause severe damage to the environment. In some cases the consequences of a spill will remain for years. The prevention of pollution should be a very high priority with anybody involved in the industry. The long term consequences of continued poisoning of the environment is simply too awful to think about.




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