ABSTRACT
The need for containment is as old as mankind. Water is a prerequisite to life and its storage has a very long history. Solids, and especially food also had to be stored to slow decay and therefore kept cool, hence ice houses. Industrial development has created very diverse containment needs, addressed with increasing sophistication. In the last two decades there has been a stream of new factors, some arising from their production process, others related to storing products or waste. Public opinion and/or legislation has also placed new constraints. Thus perceptions of both risk and environmental acceptability have changed dramatically.
