Transporting and Storing Hazardous Material
Over the years, the government and non-profit organizations have carried out endless campaigns concerning the awareness of hazardous materials. Hazardous materials are any items with the potential of harming humans, animals, and the environment either by itself or after contact with other factors. Although hazardous materials have the potential to harm the environment and the occupants, proper handling and storing of dangerous substances can reduce the negative impact on the environment. The improper handling of hazardous materials poses a danger to the environment. The most common hazardous materials that are transported pose a potential threat to the environment and, using proper shipment and storage of the dangerous material can alleviate the potential threat.
Explosives are common hazardous materials that are transported. Explosives include fireworks, black powder, and rocket motors. Explosives are ranked as dangerous because they have the potential to cause mass explosions when mishandled. The transportation and storage of fireworks pose a fire risk. When getting transported, friction can cause explosives such as fireworks and black power to ignite and explode. Furthermore, when explosives are transported in bulk, they are more likely to cause a mass explosion compared to when they are in small numbers. Fireworks are responsible for an average of 18,500 fires annually with each fire, causing an average of three deaths (National Fire Protection Association, 2019). Consumer fireworks are the most dangerous because some people do not know how to handle fireworks. For instance, when held inappropriately, sparkles can cause ignition on clothes or any flammable material nearby. Fireworks are of high risk because they can be used at a consumer level, by people who do not understand the dangers of fireworks. Also, fireworks are used for leisure, which makes it unlikely to be hazardous. Therefore, explosives are dangerous materials because of the destruction as well as the deaths they cause when mishandled.
Explosives should be transported in spark-resistant packaging. As stated earlier, explosives explode because of friction, which causes sparks that in turn, cause ignition. Furthermore, explosives should not be transported in bulk. Bulk explosives, such as black powder, increase the risk of mass explosion. An explosion from a little number of explosives can get contained easily compared to a mass explosion.
Flammable liquids and gasses are also hazardous materials in transportation. Combustible liquids and gases can burn quickly at average working temperatures, which make them risky to transport. Furthermore, combustible liquids and gases are dangerous because they are present in almost every workplace and household. Flammable liquids include solvents, paints, waxes, and polishes. People who handle flammable liquids must be aware of how to transport and store them to avoid autoignition. Some flammable liquids have very low autoignition temperatures, which makes them riskier to transport. Flammable gases include ammonia, propane, methane, and hydrogen. Just like flammable liquids, combustible gases can burn when oxidized and provided with a heat source. Fire from flammable liquids and gases burns very fast and produce toxic gas. Therefore, combustible materials are risky because of their ignition rate as well as the poisonous gases produced during ignition.
Flammable gases and liquids should be transported in regards to their autoignition temperatures. Whereas some combustible liquids and gases have high autoignition temperatures, some combustible materials have low autoignition temperatures. The transportation of flammable liquids and gases requires safety cans which reduce the risk of fire during transport. Flammable gas containers must be airtight to prevent the gas from leaking during transportation. Also, combustible gases and liquids should not be stored together to reduce the risk of ignition and explosion.
Hydrocarbons are the most common hazardous materials in transportation. The hydrocarbons include gasoline, diesel fuel, oil, and natural gas. Gasoline is a highly flammable hydrocarbon. Furthermore, gasoline has a high exposure risk because it evaporates quickly. Since gasoline evaporates speedily and it is highly combustible, it poses a high fire explosion risk. Other hydrocarbons like diesel fuel and oil are also highly flammable. Furthermore, oil spills cause adverse environmental hazards. When oil spills in water bodies, marine life gets deprived of oxygen and therefore dies. When oil spills on land, plants die since the soil gets contaminated. Thus, hydrocarbons should be transported with precaution since most of them are flammable and can contaminate water and soil.
The transportation of hydrocarbons varies with the rate of exposure. Gasoline has a high exposure risk due to natural evaporation. Gasoline is also highly flammable and, combined with the high exposure rate; gasoline transportation should be precautious. Gasoline should be transported in airtight containers to avoid evaporation and exposure. Also, gasoline should not get stored near flammable materials to prevent ignition (Transportation Research Board, 2005). Other fuels like diesel fuel are highly flammable, but with a lower rate of exposure. However, due to high flammability, diesel fuels should get transported in spark-resistant containers to avoid ignition. Some fuels are transported in pipelines. When the pipes burst, oil spills and cause imminent danger to life; therefore, the materials used for the pipelines should be strong and durable to prevent hazardous oil spills.
Chlorine is among the top hazardous materials that get transported. Chlorine is essential in the production of most industrial and consumer products. Therefore, chlorine gets transported frequently due to the high demand. However, chlorine is highly volatile and reactive in the presence of heat. When leaked, chlorine can damage lungs severely and cause death. The transportation of chorine is inevitable because it is among the most important industrial chemicals.
The transportation of chlorine is avoided due to its volatile nature. However, chlorine is an essential industry chemical which makes its transportation inevitable. Chlorine is transported in tanks that are pressurized to avoid leakage. Non-accidental releases of chlorine occur during loading and unloading of the pressurized chlorine tanks (The Chlorine Institute, 2019). The personnel handling chlorine use secondary protective gear to prevent contact and exposure. Furthermore, chlorine is packed in a fitting package for adequate protection against leakage. Researchers keep looking for ways to improve chlorine transport. Seeing that chlorine is in high demand, it is essential to improve transportation facilities and reduce leakage.
In conclusion, hazardous materials pose a significant danger to the environment when mishandled. Transportation and storage of dangerous materials increase the risk of exposure and spillage. Some hazardous materials are riskier than others due to the multiple hazards they cause. For instance, hydrocarbons can cause fire outbreaks, produce toxic gases as well as harm the environment due to spillage. Explosives can cause mass destruction of property and loss of human life when exposed to ignition. However, despite the danger they pose to human life and the environment, the threat caused by hazardous materials can be minimized by safe transportation and storage. People should be aware of how to handle dangerous substances found in households to decrease the rate of accidents. Proper shipment and storage of hazardous materials can minimize environmental degradation and death.
References
NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION . (2019). fireworks . Retrieved August 31, 2019, from NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION : https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Seasonal-fire-causes/Fireworks
The Chlorine Institute . (2019). Transportation Overview . Retrieved August 31, 2019, from The Chlorine Institute : https://www.chlorineinstitute.org/transportation/transportation-overview/
Transportation Research Board. 2005. Cooperative Research for Hazardous Materials Transportation: Defining the Need, Converging on Solutions — Special Report 283. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/11198.