Treatment of the spillage site after removal of the bulk of the waste

In order to remove the final traces of the spillage, any one of the following methods may be used depending on the nature of the spillage:

a) The spilled area is to be ventilated to dispel the vapours in case of easily volatile wastes. (Examples: Ethyl acetate, carbon disulphide and carbon tetrachloride).

b) The spillage site is to be washed with water in case of water soluble/miscible wastes. (Example : Anhydrous aluminium chloride).

c) The site of spillage is to be washed thoroughly with water and soap/detergent in case of water immiscible/insoluble wastes. (Examples: Acetic anhydride and toluene).

As mentioned earlier, these methods can be used to deal with chemical wastes in school and college laboratories. In these cases, the quantities of wastes are not large. While dealing with industrial chemical wastes, specialised methods are to be used. We illustrate with an example the consequences of unplanned dumping of industrial chemical wastes that affected small children of an elementary school.