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Plastic around
Look around you in your office, kitchen or bedroom, plastic surrounds us everywhere. Packaging of our food, clothing, computers, mobile phones, stationery and even baby toys - all made of plastic! In everyday life we do not even think, as the impact of these plastic products on our health, our children's health and the environment.
Some plastics are a direct threat to our health. Since the production of polycarbonate from which to do some of our dishes, using bisphenol A, which, according to researchers of Western scholars, causing hormonal disorders, which ultimately leads to obesity, infertility, early puberty, increases the likelihood of developing cancer.
Some plastic products you can see a triangle, the walls of which form an arrow. In the center of the triangle is placed figure. This designation - the sign of recycling, which divides all the plastic into seven groups to facilitate further processing.
At home on the icon you can determine for what purpose you can use a plastic product, and in some cases even eliminate the use of this product.
1. Polyethylene terephthalate (PETE / PET)
The most common type of plastic. The bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate, a variety of bottled soft drinks (juice, water), sunflower oil, ketchup, mayonnaise, cosmetics.
Advantages of plastic: low price, durability, safety.
Disadvantages Plastics: low barrier properties (in the bottle easily permeate the ultraviolet and oxygen; carbon dioxide contained in soft drinks, is also relatively easy to seep through the wall).
Risk to health and the environment: Officially, polyethylene terephtalate bottles are safe for health. However, there is information that the contents of the bottles may leach toxic antimony from the walls of the bottles (especially when heated). This information still requires verification. While PETE is considered one of the safest types of plastics. However, doctors do not recommend re-use PETE-bottle, because at home they are difficult to rinse clean enough, "get rid" of all microorganisms.
Recycling: Recycling is carried out mechanically (grinding) and physical-chemical. From the processed products can be fabricated into a wide range of products, including plastic bottles again.
7 ph via priroda-su
2. High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
High density polyethylene produced bottles for shampoos, cosmetics and detergents, cans of motor oil, disposable tableware, containers and containers for food, containers for freezing food, toys, and various caps and lids for bottles and flasks, durable shopping bags, packaging bags and boxes.
Advantages of plastic: low cost, safety, durability, ease of processing, resistant to oils, acids, alkalis, and other corrosive environments, HDPE-containers may be subjected to heat sterilization, a high enough temperature range operation from -80 ° C to + 110 ° C
Disadvantages of plastics: - Risk to health and the environment: Despite the fact that the HDPE-products as PETE-products, are considered safe for human health, there are a number of myths, according to which of the walls, the container can enter the liquid hexane and benzene . While this is only the myths that have no scientific evidence.
Recycling: HDPE-waste is crushed in special units, then the granules are melted again in various products.
3. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC / V)
Polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC, vinyl is used for production of linoleum, window profiles, the edges of furniture, packaging, household appliances, artificial leather, film for stretch ceiling, siding, pipe, wire and cable insulation, shower curtains, folders with metal rings, wrappers cheese and meat and vegetable oil bottles, as well as certain toys, including sex.
Advantages of plastic: resistance to acids, alkalis, solvents and oils, gasoline, kerosene, a good insulator, does not burn.
Disadvantages of plastic: a small operating temperature range from -15 ° C to + 65 ° C, difficulty in recycling, toxicity.
Risk to health and the environment: This is the most poisonous and dangerous to the health of the form of plastics. The combustion of PVC are produced highly toxic organochlorines, after 10 years of service, products made of PVC, are beginning to self-released into the environment toxic organochlorines. The most unpleasant thing is that to give greater flexibility of continuing to use PVC in the manufacture of toys, and "sex toys" for adults. There is information that polyvinyl chloride enters the bloodstream and causes the human hormonal disorders that lead to early puberty and infertility.
Processing: injection molding, compression molding, extrusion, calendering.
4. Low density polyethylene (LDPE)
From low-density polyethylene produced various packaging materials, bags for supermarkets, CD, DVD - drives
Advantages of plastic: cheapness, lightness.
Disadvantages of plastics: marginal processing.
Risk to health and the environment: officially considered harmless, despite the fact that the production of LDPE used potentially hazardous butane, benzene and vinyl acetate.
Recycling: Recycling and marginally reduced to crushing LDPE-product, followed by granulation. Mass production of LDPE leads "to littering 'environment. LDPE-bags littered the streets of cities and landfills are tons of float in the seas and oceans, causing the death of fish, birds, sea turtles and other animals that become entangled and choke them. Many cities in the world completely eliminate the use of plastic bags.
5. Polypropylene (PP)
Made of polypropylene buckets, utensils for hot dishes, disposable syringes, bags for sugar, frozen food containers, caps for most bottle oiler, some food packaging, construction is used for sound insulation. Many appliance manufacturers use polypropylene packaging for its products, giving up toxic PVC.
Advantages of plastic: heat resistance (melting point 175 ° C), resistant to wear; more heat resistant than polyethylene.
Disadvantages Plastics: sensitive to light and oxygen, ages faster than the polyethylene; less hardy than polyethylene.
Risk to health and the environment: It is believed that polypropylene is safe for health. Recently, a group of Japanese scientists has found that the fine particles of polypropylene floating in the ocean waters absorb various toxicants, dissolved in seawater, such as DDT and PCBs.
Processing: injection molding, compression molding, extrusion.
6. Polystyrene (PS)
Polystyrene manufactured disposable tableware, food containers, yogurt cups, toys, insulation boards, sandwich panels, ceiling moldings, Ceiling decorative tiles, packaging trays for food products in supermarkets (meat, various nuts, etc.), packaging egg boxes.
Advantages of plastic: cheapness, hardiness, ease of processing, a good insulator.
Disadvantages of plastic: low mechanical strength and chemical instability.
Risk to health and the environment: the previously obtained polystyrene was associated with the release of trichlorofluoromethane (Freon), which deplete the ozone layer of the Earth. Polystyrene obtained by polymerizing styrene, which is carcinogenic.
Processing: extruding with subsequent crushing and granulation.
7. Other plastics
Risk to health and the environment: A group that includes other types of plastic, so use them in everyday life can be fraught with danger to your health. Since polycarbonate from which made some dishes for food and bottles in contact with hot liquids can release Bisfinol A, which can cause a variety of hormonal disorders in humans (early puberty, obesity, cancer, ...). However, this group may also include environmentally friendly plastics that biodegrade in the environment involving microorganisms. That is buying container from this group of plastics you play roulette.
Recycling: do not.
Get more information about the different types of plastic can on Wikipedia.
In conclusion, we want to give a few tips:
- If possible, give up plastic utensils in favor of wood, glass, porcelain, metal (instead of plastic cutting board to use wooden, plastic bottle in a campaign can be replaced by a metal flask).
Some manufacturers (Klean Kanteen, Sigg, Timolino) now produce bottles instead of plastic bottles reusable stainless steel.
Source:
Some plastics are a direct threat to our health. Since the production of polycarbonate from which to do some of our dishes, using bisphenol A, which, according to researchers of Western scholars, causing hormonal disorders, which ultimately leads to obesity, infertility, early puberty, increases the likelihood of developing cancer.
Some plastic products you can see a triangle, the walls of which form an arrow. In the center of the triangle is placed figure. This designation - the sign of recycling, which divides all the plastic into seven groups to facilitate further processing.
At home on the icon you can determine for what purpose you can use a plastic product, and in some cases even eliminate the use of this product.
1. Polyethylene terephthalate (PETE / PET)
The most common type of plastic. The bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate, a variety of bottled soft drinks (juice, water), sunflower oil, ketchup, mayonnaise, cosmetics.
Advantages of plastic: low price, durability, safety.
Disadvantages Plastics: low barrier properties (in the bottle easily permeate the ultraviolet and oxygen; carbon dioxide contained in soft drinks, is also relatively easy to seep through the wall).
Risk to health and the environment: Officially, polyethylene terephtalate bottles are safe for health. However, there is information that the contents of the bottles may leach toxic antimony from the walls of the bottles (especially when heated). This information still requires verification. While PETE is considered one of the safest types of plastics. However, doctors do not recommend re-use PETE-bottle, because at home they are difficult to rinse clean enough, "get rid" of all microorganisms.
Recycling: Recycling is carried out mechanically (grinding) and physical-chemical. From the processed products can be fabricated into a wide range of products, including plastic bottles again.
7 ph via priroda-su
2. High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
High density polyethylene produced bottles for shampoos, cosmetics and detergents, cans of motor oil, disposable tableware, containers and containers for food, containers for freezing food, toys, and various caps and lids for bottles and flasks, durable shopping bags, packaging bags and boxes.
Advantages of plastic: low cost, safety, durability, ease of processing, resistant to oils, acids, alkalis, and other corrosive environments, HDPE-containers may be subjected to heat sterilization, a high enough temperature range operation from -80 ° C to + 110 ° C
Disadvantages of plastics: - Risk to health and the environment: Despite the fact that the HDPE-products as PETE-products, are considered safe for human health, there are a number of myths, according to which of the walls, the container can enter the liquid hexane and benzene . While this is only the myths that have no scientific evidence.
Recycling: HDPE-waste is crushed in special units, then the granules are melted again in various products.
3. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC / V)
Polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC, vinyl is used for production of linoleum, window profiles, the edges of furniture, packaging, household appliances, artificial leather, film for stretch ceiling, siding, pipe, wire and cable insulation, shower curtains, folders with metal rings, wrappers cheese and meat and vegetable oil bottles, as well as certain toys, including sex.
Advantages of plastic: resistance to acids, alkalis, solvents and oils, gasoline, kerosene, a good insulator, does not burn.
Disadvantages of plastic: a small operating temperature range from -15 ° C to + 65 ° C, difficulty in recycling, toxicity.
Risk to health and the environment: This is the most poisonous and dangerous to the health of the form of plastics. The combustion of PVC are produced highly toxic organochlorines, after 10 years of service, products made of PVC, are beginning to self-released into the environment toxic organochlorines. The most unpleasant thing is that to give greater flexibility of continuing to use PVC in the manufacture of toys, and "sex toys" for adults. There is information that polyvinyl chloride enters the bloodstream and causes the human hormonal disorders that lead to early puberty and infertility.
Processing: injection molding, compression molding, extrusion, calendering.
4. Low density polyethylene (LDPE)
From low-density polyethylene produced various packaging materials, bags for supermarkets, CD, DVD - drives
Advantages of plastic: cheapness, lightness.
Disadvantages of plastics: marginal processing.
Risk to health and the environment: officially considered harmless, despite the fact that the production of LDPE used potentially hazardous butane, benzene and vinyl acetate.
Recycling: Recycling and marginally reduced to crushing LDPE-product, followed by granulation. Mass production of LDPE leads "to littering 'environment. LDPE-bags littered the streets of cities and landfills are tons of float in the seas and oceans, causing the death of fish, birds, sea turtles and other animals that become entangled and choke them. Many cities in the world completely eliminate the use of plastic bags.
5. Polypropylene (PP)
Made of polypropylene buckets, utensils for hot dishes, disposable syringes, bags for sugar, frozen food containers, caps for most bottle oiler, some food packaging, construction is used for sound insulation. Many appliance manufacturers use polypropylene packaging for its products, giving up toxic PVC.
Advantages of plastic: heat resistance (melting point 175 ° C), resistant to wear; more heat resistant than polyethylene.
Disadvantages Plastics: sensitive to light and oxygen, ages faster than the polyethylene; less hardy than polyethylene.
Risk to health and the environment: It is believed that polypropylene is safe for health. Recently, a group of Japanese scientists has found that the fine particles of polypropylene floating in the ocean waters absorb various toxicants, dissolved in seawater, such as DDT and PCBs.
Processing: injection molding, compression molding, extrusion.
6. Polystyrene (PS)
Polystyrene manufactured disposable tableware, food containers, yogurt cups, toys, insulation boards, sandwich panels, ceiling moldings, Ceiling decorative tiles, packaging trays for food products in supermarkets (meat, various nuts, etc.), packaging egg boxes.
Advantages of plastic: cheapness, hardiness, ease of processing, a good insulator.
Disadvantages of plastic: low mechanical strength and chemical instability.
Risk to health and the environment: the previously obtained polystyrene was associated with the release of trichlorofluoromethane (Freon), which deplete the ozone layer of the Earth. Polystyrene obtained by polymerizing styrene, which is carcinogenic.
Processing: extruding with subsequent crushing and granulation.
7. Other plastics
Risk to health and the environment: A group that includes other types of plastic, so use them in everyday life can be fraught with danger to your health. Since polycarbonate from which made some dishes for food and bottles in contact with hot liquids can release Bisfinol A, which can cause a variety of hormonal disorders in humans (early puberty, obesity, cancer, ...). However, this group may also include environmentally friendly plastics that biodegrade in the environment involving microorganisms. That is buying container from this group of plastics you play roulette.
Recycling: do not.
Get more information about the different types of plastic can on Wikipedia.
In conclusion, we want to give a few tips:
- If possible, give up plastic utensils in favor of wood, glass, porcelain, metal (instead of plastic cutting board to use wooden, plastic bottle in a campaign can be replaced by a metal flask).
Some manufacturers (Klean Kanteen, Sigg, Timolino) now produce bottles instead of plastic bottles reusable stainless steel.
Source:
