A devastating yet subtle disaster that could drastically damage Mother Nature is a chemical or oil spill. Despite the fact that oil spills get more publicity, it is often chemical spills that have a greater impact. Luckily there are experts in spill containment who can lessen the damage.

Spill containment makes use of a barrier or drainage system to contain a spill instead of simply trying to absorb the spillage at the surface. Once oil or toxic chemicals infiltrate a body of water, there is no saying how far they could go and how much damage they can create. One common measure in these situations is to use a bladder at the point of drainage.

Liquids naturally mix and behave in set ways, but to stop them is incredibly difficult. Oil is very difficult stop as it infiltrates a stream or river. Even though containment is not ideal, it is far more preferable than failed clean-up attempts.

In the case of oil you have to use specific organisms to break it down. A more crude way is controlled burning, which has been found to effectively consume the oil in the water. Apart from the fact that controlled burning is very risky and difficult to get right, it creates massive clouds which harm the environment.

Other methods in cleaning up oil spills are skimming, dredging and the use of dispersants. Unfortunately, these methods cause pollution and may in fact damage the environment more than helping it. The problem with using a dispersant strategy is that chemicals used in this process are toxic, and the oil merely breaks down into smaller pieces that still infiltrate the water supply.

One particularly promising technique is to use chemicals that make the oil solid. As they float on water in semi-solid form, they become easier to remove. Solidifiers are made up of dry, non-toxic hydrophobic polymers.

Chemical spill clean-up, on the other hand, is a more challenging feat and must be done only by experts. A wide variety of chemicals are transported all over the world, so you first need to find out what you are dealing with. You are in a serious situation that calls for expert knowledge if you find that the chemical is toxic.

There is a lot of risk in handling these situations and that is why an expert will normally cordon off the area and clear spectators. Everyone near and around the area should be made aware of what's going on and therefore avoid getting contaminated. In some cases the situation will justify the presence of emergency personnel.

It is obviously preferable for things to never escalate like this. It is for this reason that spill containment is so important. Experts occasionally call for a secondary spill containment region to ensure that no harmful substance spreads.

Secondary containments usually consist of large concrete blocks. There are new barriers that consist of hybrid steel materials which are a lot more cost effective. Both options are used as a barrier that can hopefully save the environment from further harm.