The Coronavirus Pandemic has resulted in unprecedented changes in the livelihoods of billions of people around the globe. This blog post will explore the effects that the virus has had on the plastics industry as well as the individual consumer.

Over a period of forty years, plastic bags went from being a wonder to a threat.

 Plastic pollution contributes to the degradation of ecosystems, to a reduction in human health, and to the growing problem of climate change. Industry and individuals alike have begun to take notice of the issue.

In March 2018, a Nature paper published by Lebreton et al. revealed that the floating plastics island (more than 99.9% plastics) between Hawaii and California has grown to more than 1.6 million square kilometers (about twice of Texas). More and more microplastics are found in ocean ecosystems, even in the deep ocean.

One of the most pressing issues of today is the impact that climate change will have on our daily lives if we don’t drastically reduce our carbon emissions in the coming years. The largest contributor to carbon emissions is the fossil fuel industry, which is intimately linked to the growing plastics industry. Plastics Engineering, a profession in the plastics industry, involves the processing, design, development, manufacturing, and application of polymeric materials in engineering settings [1]. As an emerging Plastics Engineer, the predictions I hear about our Earth are deeply troubling, and I frequently wonder whether I am pursuing a sustainable, ethical profession. 

Plastic pollution is one of the most critical problems our society faces. The consequences of plastic pollution can be observed in every corner of the world. Ocean garbage patches, twice the size of Texas, are currently floating in the Pacific Ocean. Furthermore, we consume at least 7,000 microplastics per million from the dust floating in the air, which settles on our food. The future of plastic waste does not forecast a solution to this growing plastic pollution problem. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, scientists estimate that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050.

On January 1st, 2018, China issued a new ban on imported waste plastics  from any outside country. This was done as a part of their ongoing initiative to reduce pollution, as the recycling of imported waste can result in the release of unwanted pollutants into the environment. Of the many countries affected by this ban, the United States may be hit the hardest.

The plastics made from BPA have some really useful properties and the industry uses millions of pounds of these materials – thus efforts to ban them have been largely unsuccessful. However, just as with other hazardous substances, a cautious approach is smart. While elimination may not be a viable approach, we should work to limit exposure as much as possible.

Okay, so we’ve established that Bisphenol-A (BPA) doesn’t seem to be a major threat to human health in its current concentration levels, right? Humans are exposed to far less BPA than is generally recommended as “safe” by many governments all over the world, so it appears that BPA is far smaller of a problem than people make it out to be. However, BPA is still bad for humans, regardless of concentration. This dangerous chemical can still have many adverse effects when ingested or absorbed into the human body, which occurs via many food and water sources. Unfortunately for us, a significant portion of the food we eat and water we drink comes from water sources supplied by the ocean.

The debate regarding the use of Bisphenol A has plagued consumer markets regarding the disputed safety of this chemical. Bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, is the main constituent of polycarbonate plastics. Polycarbonate materials are used everywhere from CDs to food storage containers. In addition to its use in polycarbonate plastics, BPA is also found in epoxy resins which are used to make products such as paints, protective coatings, and metal food can linings. According to Chemical Market Associates Inc (CMAI), close to 2.8 million tons of BPA were produced in the year of 2002. Thomas Zincke is credited with the initial synthesis of BPA in 1905, when he combined phenol and acetone to create this useful compound. The synthesis of the chemical into plastic materials came in the year of 1953 by Dr. Hermann Schnell and Dr. Dan Fox.