A history of plastics 1956 19562016 september 22 the first official united plastic distributors association meeting is spearheaded by paul davis of plastics manufacturing and supply corporation in dayton, oh. As susan freinkel tells the tale in her book, plastic. The first manmade plastic parkesine the first manmade plastic was created by alexander parkes who publicly demonstrated it at the 1862 great international exhibition in london. Plastics have been used in every major market in the united states, including construction, packaging, automobiles and boats, electricalelectronics, pipe and fittings.
The word plastic becomes a part of consumers everyday language to describe a wide variety of these new materialswhich continues today. The use of plastics has been an important part in the history of engineering. Polyethylene 1930s produced in fits and starts in the 1930s in the united kingdom, polyethylene has become the most widely used plastic and is a mainstay of modern packaging. A toxic love story, an amateur inventor named john wesley hyatt took up the challenge. Microplastic pollutants introduces the reader to the growing problem of microplastic pollution in the aquatic environment and is the first ever book dedicated exclusively to the subject of microplastics. A toxic love story explains how the plastic got there and why its so difficult to keep it away. Rachel carsons 1962 book, silent spring, exposed the. Even in ancient egypt, scientists were trying to perfect reconstructive surgery. Especially over the last 50 years plastics have saturated our world and changed the way that we live. A brief history of plastics, natural and synthetic bbc news. The book is authoritative, thorough, interdisciplinary and intriguing. Meikle traces the course of plastics from 19thcentury celluloid and the fist wholly.
The growing popularity of billiards had put a strain on the supply of natural ivory, obtained through the slaughter of wild elephants. Browse a timeline of plastics innovations, see milestones in plastics recycling and get more plastics history. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkles, or sequins, but somewhat smaller since prehistoric times, glitter has been made from many different materials including stones such as malachite, and mica. Interstate 190, route, and route 117 all have startingending.
Plastics are persistent largescale pollutants, and plastic debris such as bottles, straws, containers, and plastic wrap and particulates have been found in many environmental niches, from mount everest to the bottom of the sea. Fate and impact of microplastics in marine ecosystems. This eloquent, elegant book thoughtfully plumbs the. Meikle, professor of american studies and art history at the university of texas, presents a splendid history of plastic. The book is a sequence of anecdotes about different plastics. Drawing on original data from industry press, original timelines, hundreds of historical and contemporary images, advertisements dating to the 1940s, and technical data, this unconventional book explores the emergence of plastics as a building material and presents new findings. But a century into our love affair, were starting to realize its not such a healthy relationship. Now in its third edition, plastics is the key text for senior students studying the science and engineering of plastic materials. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. In the 1950s and 1960s, meikle explains, plastic was decried by such notables as author norman mailer, who deplored plastics not so much because he saw it as something physically toxic, but as socially and morally toxic to the human race. This book is an engaging, easy to read modern history of plastic, roughly. Later on in this book we will look more closely at the molecular structure of plastics. Leominster is located north of worcester and northwest of boston.
With considerable detail, the early history of plastics is discussed in chronological order from the humble beginnings of the first semisynthetic polymer to the mass production of. According to the berkeley plastics task force, the power needed to produce one kilogram of ethylene, the raw material for all packaging plastics, would light a 100watt bulb for 56 hours. The material, called parkesine, was an organic material derived from cellulose that, once heated, could be molded and retained its shape when cooled. The history and future of plastics what are plastics, and where do. Meikle traces the course of plastics from 19thcentury celluloid and the fist wholly synthetic bakelite, in 1907, through the proliferation of compounds vinyls, acrylics, polystyrene, nylon, etc.
Plastic is a word that originally meant pliable and easily shaped. His new material, celluloid, was made of cellulose. The following is an excerpt from susan freinkels book. Parkesine, the first member of the celluloid class of compounds and considered the first manmade plastic patented by alexander parkes. From the coastline to the open sea while the presence of microplastics in ecosystems has been reported in the scientific literature since the 1970s, many pressing. The first manmade plastic was created by alexander parkes who publicly demonstrated it at the 1862 great international exhibition in london. It describes the winding path that a wide range of plastics took from the lab to the marketplace. Learn about the many types of plastics, from silicone and polypropylene to innovative bioplastics. Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes and colors. From the coastline to the open sea brings together highlights from the conference proceedings for micro 2016. From pacemakers to disposable bags, plastic built the modern world. The making of a synthetic century by stephen fenichell. History and physical chemistry of hdpe table 11 cell classifications see astm d 3350 property astm specification classification requirement astm d 1505 test method density for density of plastics by the 3 0. From billiards to bibs plastics have been touted as a miracle material by some, and criticized as artificial and toxic by others.
Most of all the book tells how plastic has changed our lives from the first toy a as a sailor ive been horrified by plastic litter on remote and otherwise pristine beaches of the coasts of british columbia and alaska. I got a chance to do both when i when i recently read the new book, plastic. It only recently became a name for a category of materials called polymers. John wesley hyatt discovers a method to simplify the production of celluloid, making industrial production possible.
Freinkels book is packed with information on plastic. Typical reactions for chain assembling are polyaddition continuous or step wise and condensation polymerization polycondensation 1 figure 1. As a colorado resident, and husband to a professional conservationist, i enjoy learning more about environmental issues. A brief history of the unbreakable comb copy link facebook twitter reddit flipboard pocket unbreakable combs can be traced back to 19thcentury developments in plastic and rubber. Rachel carsons 1962 book, silent spring, exposed the dangers of chemical pesticides. He moves easily from the rise of the plastics industry to plastics symbolic hold on. History of our maryland society for plastic surgeons. He is still, however, able to hide some of the boys scars. March the first barbie doll is unveiled by mattel at american. Baekeland used phenol, an acid derived from coal tar. History and future of plastics science history institute.
The book is authoritative, thorough, interdisciplinary, and intriguing. Surrounded by plastic and depressed by the political, environmental, and medical consequences of our dependence on it, freinkel the american chestnut chronicles our history with plastic, from enraptured embrace to deep disenchantment, through eight household items including the comb, credit card, and soda bottle celluloid, one of the first synthetics, transformed the comb from a luxury item to an. Current issues concerning health and safety and the environment and sustainability of plastics are considered. Meikle traces the course of plastics from 19thcentury. This is a must read for anyone concerned about the environment. The edwin smith papyrus, circa 3000 to 2500 bc, describes prosthetic surgery. Handbook of thermoplastic elastomers sciencedirect.
The egyptians also prepared mummies of important people for the afterlife by inserting seeds and bones beneath the facial skin to ensure the nose and face would retain their shape despite. Plastic pollution, harmful accumulation of synthetic plastic products in the environment. The following is an excerpt from susan freinkel s book, plastic. The making of a synthetic century was written by stephen fenichell in 1996 as a history of the plastics business. Handbook of thermoplastic elastomers, second edition presents a comprehensive working knowledge of thermoplastic elastomers tpes, providing an essential introduction for those learning the basics, but also detailed engineering data and best practice guidance for those already involved in polymerization, processing, and part manufacture. Read frequentlyasked questions, search the site or seek professor plastics. The john staige davis society of plastic surgeons of maryland. The word polymer means of many parts, and polymers are made of long chains of molecules. Father of the model for our current surgical training programs. History and future of plastics what are plastics and where do they come from. Plastics are a diverse group of synthetic polymers that have their origins in the late 19th century, but which really came to the fore in the mid. Meikle is a professor of american studies and art history at the university of texas at austin, where he also serves as director of the american studies program. His work opened the floodgates to a torrent of nowfamiliar synthetic plastics polystyrene in 1929, polyester in 1930, polyvinylchloride.
A brief history of marine litter research springerlink. A brief history of plastics conquest of the world scientific american. As aptly characterized in the preface, the narrative itself takes on a certain plasticity, touching in turn on the histories of technology and invention. Beforeandafter photos of plastic surgerys early days. It nestles among a flock of plastics factories in leominster, massachusetts, on route 117 west of bos ton. The book combines a firstrate technological history with an impressive cultural analysis of how plastics evolved from a material surrounded by utopian. Te second covers the methods professor paolo santonirugiu and mr philip sykes trace used from ancient times to reconstruct various areas of the development of plastic surgery and much of medi the body and is the most extensive. With so much work already done on the boy from the previous slide, the plastic surgeon doesnt have much skin to use for grafting. Beyond that, the hazards of manufacturing with plastic are brutal. A cultural history, and youll find some interesting background information. Pvc was accidentally synthesized in 1872 by german chemist eugen baumann. Starting from microstructure and physical properties, the book covers the mechanical, chemical and electrical properties of plastic materials, and also deals in detail with wider plastics issues that todays engineers and materials scientists need such as. From cheap toys to woolly jumpers, plastic can be found in more products than many people realise.
A brief history of the unbreakable comb atlas obscura. As a plastic distributor, i like to read books about the history of plastics. It is the secondlargest city in worcester county, with a population of 40,759 at the 2010 census. The codex style book, using sheets of either papyrus or vellum before the spread of chinese papermaking outside of imperial china, was invented in the roman empire during the 1st century ad. The plastic pink flamingo a natural history jennifer price years ago, i visited the union products factory, the birthplace of the plastic pink flamingo. Importantly, this timely fullcolour illustrated multidisciplinary book highlights the very recent realization that microplastics may transport toxic chemicals into food chains around the world. The plastics design library series pdl is a collection of data books, reference works and practical guides covering plastics engineering, applications, processing, manufacturing, material selection, product design, recycling and waste, and innovative materials. I have come to believe, and would like to persuade you, that the. The worlds first fully synthetic plastic was bakelite, invented in new york in 1907, by leo baekeland who coined the term plastics. Plastic packaging, especially, is the quintessential singleuse product. A history of plastics in america from 19thcentury celluloid to the first wholly synthetic bakelite, through to a proliferation of compounds and on to recent ecological. It describes the winding path that a wide range of plastics took from the lab to the.
In 1969 a major oil spill occurred off the california coast and the. Open up the book by jeffrey meikle, american plastic. The history of plastic different types timeline of plastics. The history and future of plastics what are plastics, and. Plastic companies begin to aggressively market their product as superior to paper and reusable bags. As journalist susan freinkel points out in this eyeopening book. Nineteenthcentury patent books are filled with inventions involving combinations of cork, sawdust, rubbers, and gums, even blood and milk protein, all. Cheap plastic has unleashed a flood of consumer goods.