Karen A. Beitler
Polly is an imaginary teen. She wakes to the sound to her alarm clock (possibly made of polystyrene –a hard low-cost plastic which can be molded into a shape). The sheets and blankets on her bed are most likely made from a combination of a natural polymer (cotton) and polyester like Dacron. Polly gets out of bed her feet landing on a soft carpet. This polymer carpet can be made from a myriad of polymer fibers. This industry is continually looking for new ways to make carpet softer, easier to clean, and aesthetically pleasing to the buyer. Off to the bathroom to brush her teeth Polly finds her toothbrush, made of predominantly nylon, and toothpaste that contains polyethylene glycol, a low–toxicity and low–hazard risk polymer and maybe carboxymethyl cellulose, a polymer thickener, in the medicine cabinet. The cabinet is made of pressed wood fiber (cellulose polymer). As she reaches for the shower door she realizes that it is no longer made from glass but is a clear plastic (acrylic), and the shower bed is also a high–density polymer resin (H.D.P.). In the shower the shampoo and liquid soap (Polyquaternium–10, Polyquaternium–7, Polyquaternium–11, and/or Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride. and silicones that may also be included dimethicone, amodimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane, cyclomethicone, dimethicone copolyols, or dimethiconol) bottles are marked with the HDPE recycling symbol. There is even a plastic squeegee with a note from Mom to wipe down the new shower and spray with a transparent polymer coating (TPC) surface protector. Drying off with a towel (rayon) Polly returns to her room (walking on tile floors made of polymers (PVC) and wood floors (Cellulose) coated with polymers (polyurethane) to put on her clothes, mostly cottons blended with polymer (polyester) for better stretch, resistance to soiling and durability.
Polly heads to the kitchen to make a lunch for school and used a plastic wrap (polyvinylidene chloride) to wrap her sandwich, plastic baggies (LDPE) for snacks and a plastic container (polystyrene) for her muffin. Books & papers are also made of cellulose Polly realizes as she packs them into her book bag. Pouring hot water over a teabag in her Styrofoam cup, she slips into her Crocs (Croclite), puts in her headphones and heads to the bus stop. From music she listens to the seat on the bus and in the classroom, Polly can trace the manufacturing of each product back to a natural or man-made polymer molecule. So, "what's all the fuss about?" she wonders as she walks into her first period class.