News
World Corrosion Awareness Day
Apr 24, 2022
Written by Jamey Hilleary, Remote Monitoring Product Manager
The “World Corrosion Organization (WCO) has designated the 24th of April as “World Corrosion Awareness Day”. At first glance, this may appear to be a superfluous, self-promoting act by an industry organization. In reality, corrosion touches many aspects of all of our lives. In the US alone damage and repair costs associated with corrosion exceed $138 billion annually (2002 NACE “Cost of Corrosion” study), and these costs are incurred across all sectors of our economy.
Corrosion associated with oil, gas, and water pipeline infrastructure alone exceeds $50 billion annually. Corrosion and related infrastructure damage not only directly impacts the prices at the gas pump and water spigot but also significantly affects our environment. Oil spills into lakes and streams, natural gas pipeline explosions, and even lead contamination in water systems are all associated with corrosion. Additionally, corrosion in bridges and buildings can lead to catastrophic failures resulting in severe injuries and deaths.
The good news is that corrosion is well understood and can be controlled or eliminated completely if proper protective measures are undertaken. High-performance coatings, cathodic protection corrosion control systems, and regular inspection and maintenance can virtually eliminate the risk of infrastructure system failures in pipelines and concrete structures. To ensure the corrosion protection systems deployed to eliminate corrosion are functioning properly, continuous monitoring of these systems can be an invaluable tool in assuring the protection is sufficient. Remote monitoring systems such as the Elecsys Watchdog Scout and Tracker provide 24/7 oversight of critical corrosion control systems and can play a significant role in reducing the negative impact of corrosion in our lives. Elecsys is proud to be a part of the solution and continuous innovation around corrosion control and to do our part to raise awareness regarding the impact of corrosion on all of our lives!
Jamey Hilleary
Remote Monitoring Product Manager
913-890-8909
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