BUT B Sem 1
Plastics
What exactly is plastic, and where does it come from? Discuss in pairs.
Each of these items is made from or includes a different
kind of plastic. Match an item with its plastic
polyethylene (polythene)
nylon
celluloid
Formica
Teflon
PVC
polystyrene
polyester
acrylic
Mag. Regina Griesmayr
kitchen table surfaces
shower curtains
shirts
paint
toothbrush bristles
moulded packing material
frying pan surfaces
grocery bags
table tennis balls
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BUT B Sem 1
Plastics
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PET (polyethylene terephthalate): plastic soft drink bottles, water bottles,
beer bottles, mouthwash bottles and many more
HDPE (high density polyethylene): milk bottles, detergent bottles, oil bottles,
toys, plastic bags
PVC (polyvinyl chloride): food wrap, vegetable oil bottles, blister packaging
LDPE (low density polyethylene): bread bags, frozen food bags, squeezable
bottles, fiber, tote bags, bottles, clothing, furniture, carpet, shrink-wrap,
garment bags
PP (polypropylene): margarine and yogurt containers, caps for containers,
wrapping to replace cellophane
PS (polystyrene): egg cartons, fast food trays, disposable plastic silverware
Other: This code indicates that the item is made with a resin other than the
six listed above, or a combination of different resins. http://greennature.com/article215.html,
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Different-Types-of Plastics-and-Their-Uses&id=1572569
Mag. Regina Griesmayr
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BUT B Sem 1
Plastics
PLASTIC PLANET -”AFTER SEEING THIS FILM YOU WILL NEVER DRINK FROM A
PLASTIC BOTTLE”. September 26, 2009
Generally we all know plastic is bad. But HOW bad? WHAT is actually so bad about it?
The film comes up as an eye-opener.
An investigative documentary in Michael Moore style by an Austrian film director Werner
Boote presents an up-close and personal view of the controversial and fascinating material
that has found its way into every facet of our daily lives: plastic. He takes us on a journey
around the globe, following plastic through its 100 years of “glorious triumph” and showing us
what an unexpected impact plastic has on our world.
Main messages:
-the horrifying hormone-disrupting impact of plastic
-the all-pervading nature of plastic, how much it is actually present in our lives
-the need to a shift n collective awareness regarding the plastic consume
-plastic as the synonym for materialism, as its physical manifestation
Watch the trailer (in German): it is horrifying to see that amount of plastic an average western
house has!
Some more interesting facts:
One of the most common chemicals in all kinds of plastic we use daily is Bisphenol-A, a
hormone-disrupting chemical that is considered to be potentially harmful to human health
and the environment. Scientists studying the impact of man-made chemicals on human
health claim human males will be infertile by the middle of the next century if present
industrial trends are maintained. Two recent studies have found that sperm count in men has
declined dramatically over the past 20 years. A report in the
British Medical Journal in August 1994 comparing men of similar ages, sperm count in 3729
Scottish men had declined 41% among those born in
1969 compared to those born in 1941. The New England Journal of Medicine reported in
February 1995 that sperm count has declined 33% during the past 20 years among a studypopulation of 1,351 healthy, fertile men in Paris, France.
There are currently over 80,000 chemicals on the market in the U.S., the vast majority of
which lack even basic information on health effects and toxicity. We do know that at least
1,400 chemicals have known or probable links to cancer, birth defects, reproductive impacts,
and other health problems such as learning disabilities…
IS THERE ANY WAY OUT? The film shows some alternatives, Sooner or later we will have
to find another solution. In the meanwhile we can try our best at least on the personal level
and minimize the usage of plastic in our daily lives.
Mag. Regina Griesmayr
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BUT B Sem 1
Plastics
Questions on the film “Plastic Planet 3” BBC documentary
Environmental Correspondent David Shukman shows how
plastic not only looks bad, but become part of the food chain
underwater from breaking down to very small particles that is
a magnet for toxic chemicals.
1) According to the film, what are examples of visible
plastic pollution
2) What does the film say about invisible plastic
pollution?
3) What can we do?
Words of the film
mermaids ‘tears
tide
plastic pellets in the sea
the regular rising and
falling of the level of the
sea, resembling fish eggs
Particles
to drown
Fragments
to die from being under
water for too long
toxic
Containing poison
(Invisible) threat
barnacle
a small sea animal with a
hard shell that sticks
firmly to rocks and the
bottom of boats
microns
to be likely to be
dangerous to people or
things
1/1000 mm; There are
one million micrometres
in one metre.
Ingest
to take food or other
substances into your
body
Hazard
Danger
accumulate
to increase by gradually
adding more
epitomize
to be a very typical
example of something
Mag. Regina Griesmayr
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BUT B Sem 1
Plastics
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE DEALING WITH THE ISSUE OF THE FILM
Plastics 'poisoning world's seas'
By Maggie Ayre
Microscopic particles of plastic could be poisoning the oceans, according to a British
team of researchers.
They report that small plastic pellets called "mermaids' tears", which are the result of industry
and domestic waste, have spread across the world's seas.
The scientists had previously found the debris on UK beaches and in European waters; now
they have replicated the finding on four continents.
Scientists are worried that these fragments can get into the food chain.
Plastic rubbish, from drinks bottles and fishing nets to the ubiquitous carrier bag, ends up in
the world's oceans.
Sturdy and durable plastic does not bio-degrade, it only breaks down physically, and so
persists in the environment for possibly hundreds of years.
“ Maybe in a different chemical environment, perhaps in the guts of organisms, those
chemicals might be released ”
Richard Thompson
Among clumps of seaweed or flotsam washed up on the shore it is common to find mermaids'
tears, small plastic pellets resembling fish eggs.
Some are the raw materials of the plastics industry spilled in transit from processing plants.
Others are granules of domestic waste that have fragmented over the years.
Either way, mermaids' tears remain everywhere and are almost impossible to clean up.
Raw materials
Dr Richard Thompson at the University of Plymouth is leading research into what happens
when plastic breaks down in seawater and what effect it is having on the marine environment.
He and his team set out to out to find out how small these fragments can get. So far they've
identified plastic particles of around 20 microns - thinner than the diameter of a human hair.
In 2004 their groundbreaking study reported finding particles on beaches around the UK.
Historical records of samples taken by ships plying routes between Britain and Iceland
confirmed that the incidence of the particles had been increasing over the years.
Now the team has extended its sampling elsewhere in Europe, and to the Americas, Australia,
Africa and Antarctica.
They found plastic particles smaller than grains of sand. Dr Thompson's findings estimate
there are 300,000 items of plastic per sq km of sea surface, and 100,000 per sq km of seabed.
Mag. Regina Griesmayr
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BUT B Sem 1
Plastics
So plastic appears to be everywhere in our seas. The next task was to try and find out what
kind of sea creatures might be consuming it and with what consequences.
Thompson and his team conducted experiments on three species of filter feeders in their
laboratory. They looked at the barnacle, the lugworm and the common amphipod or sandhopper, and found that all three readily ingested plastic as they fed along the seabed.
"These creatures are eaten by others along food chain," Dr Thompson explained. "It seems an
inevitable consequence that it will pass along the food chain. There is the possibility that
chemicals could be transferred from plastics to marine organisms."
Other contaminants
There are two ways in which this might happen. Firstly, the Plymouth scientists want to
establish whether there is the potential for chemicals to leach out of degraded plastic over a
larger area after the plastic has been ground down.
The second aspect of this research is focusing on what happens when plastic absorbs other
contaminants.
So-called hydrophobic chemicals such as PCBs and other polymer additives accumulate on
the surface of the sea and latch on to plastic debris.
"They can become magnified in concentration," said Richard Thompson, "and maybe in a
different chemical environment, perhaps in the guts of organisms, those chemicals might be
released."
Whether plastics present a toxic challenge to marine life and subsequently to humans is one of
the biggest challenges facing marine scientists today.
The plastics industry's response is that much of the research is speculative at this stage, and
that there is very little evidence that this transfer of chemicals is taking place in the wild.
It says it is doing its bit by replacing toxic materials used as stabilisers and flame retardants
with less harmful substances.
Whatever the findings eventually show, there is little that can be done now to deal with the
vast quantities of plastic already in our oceans. It will be there for decades to come.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/6218698.stm
Mag. Regina Griesmayr
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