Sock can be used on land or water ,they are ideal for surrounding spilled fluids to keep them from spreading ,They are easy ,practical and convenient to put in place as they are flexiable and can conform to just about any shape ,socks are very practical and commonly used around old leaky machine. socks are specifically designed to absorb oil spills and are non-biodegradable. Our Oil Absorbent Socks repel water and only absorb oil based fluids.