Dec 18, 2009
Since first being produced in 1909, plastic (any synthetic organic material that can be molded under heat and pressure to retain a shape) has had an impact on industries and consumers throughout the world. True to its name—plastic is defined as "capable of being molded or modeled"—the substance can be adapted to countless uses, both for the production of goods and as a material in finished goods. In 1909 Bakelite plastic was introduced and over the next three decades the plastics industry grew. Acrylic, nylon, polystyrene, and vinyl (polyvinyl chloride or PVC) were developed in the 1930s, and polyesters were produced in the 1940s. By the end of the twentieth century plastic was being used in nearly all manufactured products: from household items such as hosiery, clocks, radios, toys, flooring, food containers, bags, electric plugs, and garden hoses, to commercial...
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