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About This Webisode
SWAB THE DECKS!:
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.
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."
