Clean Chemistry
Decontamination Is Key to Toxic Spills
There are different ways to deal with a toxic chemical. You can neutralize it chemically, you can physically remove it, or you can try to capture it in another material.
And when a spill occurs on board a ship, cleaning it up is even more difficult because you can't just get up and leave. So, scientists at a Navy research lab in Dahlgren, Va., are developing new formulas to help hazard-response teams deal with toxic chemicals so sailors stay safe aboard ships.
"Chemistry is a lot of fun because it takes a lot of creativity," says Peter Hseih, a chemist. "It actually takes imagination to think of ways in which you can replace a specific atom with another one, and that is as much art as it is science."
|
CONCEPTS EXPLORED
cleaning and decontamination surface tension surfactants polymers
|
RELATED LINKS
http://dohs.ors.od.nih.gov/decontamination.htm
|
MILITARY BRANCH
Navy
LAB'S NDEP PAGE
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, VA
|