Having your own private oil tank can be beneficial as you do not have to rely upon the main network which is typically less cost-effective and gives you less control over energy consumption. But having an oil tank installed also has its drawbacks. You have to be extra careful with it as not only its installation is complex but its maintenance requires a lot of hard work.
From ensuring that all the complex technicalities of installation are met to ensuring that the tank is in proper condition to function, now and then, you have to be careful at every single step.
And if you fail to do so or even lag slightly, you would expose yourself to the possibility of experiencing oil leakage or oil spills.
What happens if domestic oil spills?
If your tank starts spilling oil, the oil won’t just stay there but it will flow out to contaminate the adjacent areas. And if left untreated, it could go on to contaminate groundwater and soil.
This could lead to contamination of wells and water supplies of adjacent properties. Once the water supplies are contaminated, it could cause a myriad of drinking water problems. For example, oil damages the plastic water pipes so when it seeps into the underground water channel, it can affect the water pipelines that will ultimately lead to bad taste and foul odor in the drinking water.
Apart from this, oil spills can have a serious impact on human health as well. The first threat to human health spilled oil is through contaminated drinking water.
The second harmful impact they can have on our health is through disastrous fumes. As all petroleum products contain volatile compounds therefore when the oil is spilled it releases gases. If people nearby inhale these fumes or are surrounded by the vapors that linger in the air longer than usual, they can experience eye irritation, nausea, dizziness, headaches, drowsiness, and disorientation.
However, these symptoms are related to short term exposure to oil fumes. When a person is exposed for a very long time, which could happen if the smell of the fumes does not erupt shortly, then he could experience more serious conditions that would require a doctor’s consultation.
Skin irritation can also arise due to prolonged exposure or contact with the fumes. One could experience redness, severe irritation, and swelling.
How to handle oil spills at home?
Oil spills happen at both small and large scales. The larger ones require proper oil contamination treatment but the smaller ones can be dealt at home. But, this will require all of your attention and efforts. However, a domestic oil spill is not always easy to deal with, especially when the spill is massive and gets out of your hands.
Regardless of that, we should know a few tips and tricks to be well prepared to handle any such mishap because once an oil spill skyrockets, it causes severe damage to the surrounding and human health -as we discussed above.
The first thing that you must do when you have an oil tank placed in your residence, always check it regularly to look for any rusting or other damage to the tank. This way you can easily be one step ahead to deal with any leakage.
Somehow, if you fail to attend to any such damage and the leakage eventually occurs but it is small, place a pan where the tank is leaking to collect the spilling oil before it even touches the ground.
If this too gets out of hands and the oil starts spilling on the floor, try blocking that area to prevent the oil from spreading any further. You can do this by placing small dams as barriers and if that does not work then try using absorbents like cat litter, or sand.
If the flow of the oil dripping from the split of the tank gets a bit controlled then you can easily apply a sealant on the split. However, this is not a permanent solution as sealant only works temporarily. But this should give you enough time to contact professionals who deal with oil contamination treatment.
On the other hand, you have to protect yourself and your family in the midst of dealing with this chaos. This first thing you should do when your home smells of oil is to ensure maximum ventilation.
Open all the windows as well as doors so that the strong oil smell does not accumulate inside. This will also help in warding off the harmful petroleum fumes.
The next thing you have to do is to make sure that all of your family members, and especially children and pets are away from the spill location. If possible, have them evacuate the house for at least the time when the house is cleared of the smell and fumes.
While dealing with domestic oil spill, make sure that your skin and clothes do not come in contact with the oil. Remember to avoid smoking, drinking, and eating during and after you finish dealing with the oil spill. Also, try to examine the tank for the origin of the leak, and before doing that, make sure that the oil supply is turned off.
Who deals with the cleaning of oil contamination?
You can take care of the oil spill to some extent, but cleaning is entirely another process. All the things that have been contaminated with the oil, be it water, ground, or soil, only a team of specialists can do it properly.
Therefore, you should first call the professional before taking on the mission of curing the leakage flow, and when the team arrives, you leave the place immediately to ensure your health.
Bottom line
Dealing with domestic oil contamination might not be impossible but it is not recommended. The only thing you must do after calling the professionals is to ensure no one is around the site. Then let the expert team, who come with efficient methods of oil spill clean up and bioremediation, take care of the rest.
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