Alexei Volkov
The 20th and 21st centuries have been dubbed the Age of Plastic due to the influence and ubiquity of plastic materials. However, the history of plastic goes back much further. Natural plastics such as horn, tortoiseshell, amber, rubber, and shellac have been used since antiquity, with animal horns being used for various purposes, including medallions and cutlery. In the 19th century, as industrialised goods production increased, some animal-derived materials became scarce, leading to the search for alternative materials. This led to the creation of the first manufactured plastic, Parkesine, patented by Birmingham-born inventor Alexander Parkes in 1862. Parkesine was a cheap and colourful substitute for ivory or tortoiseshell and revolutionised the consumer goods industry, making items like combs and billiard balls more affordable and accessible to a wider range of people.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Centuries dubbed the Plastics Age | 20th and 21st |
| First plastics produced | 1862 |
| Inventor of the first manufactured plastic | Birmingham-born artisan-cum-chemist Alexander Parkes |
| Name of the first manufactured plastic | Parkesine |
| Parkesine | A cheap and colourful substitute for ivory or tortoiseshell |
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What You'll Learn
The first plastics
The 20th and 21st centuries have been dubbed the "Age of Plastic", and plastic has become an ever-present material of modern society.
The first plastic, Parkesine, was made and patented by Birmingham-born artisan-cum-chemist Alexander Parkes in 1862. It was derived from cellulose that, once heated, could be moulded and retained its shape when cooled. It was a cheap and colourful substitute for ivory or tortoiseshell, used for items like combs and billiard balls, thus democratising consumer goods and culture.
The next development in plastics came in 1868 (or 1869 according to another source) with the invention of celluloid by John Wesley Hyatt in the US. This was derived from cellulose and alcoholised camphor and was used as a substitute for ivory in billiard balls and in film. By 1900, movie film was an exploding market for celluloid.
The world's first fully synthetic plastic was Bakelite, invented in New York in 1907 by Leo Baekeland, who coined the term "plastics". Bakelite was the first fully synthetic resin to become commercially successful.
The development of plastics accelerated with Charles Goodyear's 1839 discovery of vulcanization to harden natural rubber. After World War I, improvements in chemistry led to an explosion of new forms of plastics, with mass production beginning in the 1940s and 1950s.
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Plastic's influence on society
The 20th and 21st centuries have been dubbed the "Age of Plastic", and plastic has become an integral part of our daily lives. Plastic is a loose term for materials that can be formed and moulded under heat and pressure. We use plastic in almost every aspect of our lives, from pillows to toothbrushes, keyboards, and food containers.
The first manufactured plastic was invented and patented in 1862 by Birmingham-born artisan-chemist Alexander Parkes. Known as Parkesine, it was a cheap and colourful substitute for ivory or tortoiseshell. This new plastic made items like combs and billiard balls affordable to the masses, democratising consumer goods and culture.
However, our widespread adoption of plastics has had severe consequences for our health and the environment. Plastic is found all around the globe, polluting landscapes, oceans, air, and even our bodies. It has entered the fossil record and is negatively impacting biodiversity, climate change, human health, and human rights. Plastic production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, and the global cost of plastic-related health effects was estimated at $100 billion per year in 2022.
The toxic chemical additives used in plastic production pose a serious threat to all life on Earth. Plastics can enter the human bloodstream and remain in our bodies permanently. Microplastics, formed when plastics break down, carry these chemicals and are consumed by people through food, water, and air. Studies have shown that microplastics damage cells in the human body, leading to cancers, lung disease, and birth defects.
The impact of plastic pollution is particularly concerning due to the difficulty of removing plastic from the environment once it has entered ecosystems. Every day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic is dumped into the world's oceans, rivers, and lakes, threatening the livelihoods, food production, and social well-being of millions.
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Plastic's environmental impact
The 20th and 21st centuries have been dubbed the "Age of Plastic", and plastic has become an integral part of modern society. Plastic is used in everything from pillows and toothbrushes to keyboards and food containers. However, the widespread adoption of plastics has had significant consequences for both the environment and human health.
Plastics are derived from fossil fuels, and their production contributes to climate change and air emissions. The infrastructure required to extract raw materials for plastic production involves pipelines and refineries, which release hundreds of toxins into the environment. These toxins can cause a range of health issues, including damage to sensory organs, effects on respiratory, nervous, and gastrointestinal systems, impairment of organs, and increased likelihood of cancer.
Once plastics are manufactured, they can take various forms, such as packaging materials, electronics, construction materials, and fabrics. Plastic products often contain microplastics and hazardous chemicals, which can contaminate the environment and enter the food chain. Microplastics, ranging in size from five millimeters to one nanometer, have been found in every ecosystem on the planet, from the Antarctic tundra to tropical coral reefs. Research indicates that more than 1,500 species in marine and terrestrial environments ingest plastics, leading to health issues and even death.
The durability of plastics is a significant concern, as discarded items can remain in the environment for generations. Plastic pollution can fragment into smaller pieces, known as microplastics and nanoplastics, which can then be ingested by marine species and humans. This pollution has been found in all sources of water, types of food, placentas of pregnant people, and human stool. The issue is exacerbated by the fact that only a small fraction of plastic waste is economically or technically viable to recycle, with only about 9% of all plastics ever produced being recycled.
The impact of plastic pollution has led to growing awareness and concerns about its potential harm to humans and nature. Efforts are being made to reduce plastic litter and microplastics released into the environment, with specific rules, targets, and guidelines being implemented in regions like the EU. However, global consumption of plastic continues to accelerate, and the full extent of plastic's environmental impact may not be known for generations to come.
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Plastic's health impact
The 20th and 21st centuries have been dubbed the "Age of Plastic", and plastic products have indeed become ubiquitous in our lives. We sleep on plastic-filled pillows, clean our teeth with plastic toothbrushes, type on plastic keyboards, and eat and drink from plastic containers. However, our widespread adoption of plastics has had consequences for our health.
Plastics contribute to pollution in our landscapes, oceans, air, and bodies. They have even entered the fossil record. Plastic pollution is persistent and can take between 100 to 1,000 years or more to decompose, depending on environmental conditions. Once in the environment, plastic can fragment into smaller pieces, known as microplastics, which are plastic particles ranging in size from five millimeters to one nanometer. These microplastics are found in every ecosystem on the planet, from the Antarctic tundra to tropical coral reefs.
Humans are exposed to toxic chemicals and microplastics through inhalation, ingestion, and direct skin contact. An average person may be ingesting approximately 5 grams of plastic every week. While research into the health impacts of plastics is still a relatively new area, results so far indicate that plastic causes diseases, disabilities, and premature death at every stage of its life cycle.
The toxic chemical additives and pollutants found in plastics threaten human health on a global scale. Microplastics can carry chemicals used in plastic production, which are then consumed by people through food, water, and breathing. Studies have shown that microplastics damage cells in the human body, leading to cancers, lung disease, and birth defects. Toxic chemical additives in plastics can also alter hormone activity in the human body, disrupting reproduction, growth, and cognitive function. Furthermore, microplastics act as vessels for pathogens to enter the human body, increasing the spread of disease.
Vulnerable groups, including children, women, workers in the informal waste sector, and marginalized communities, are particularly exposed to the health risks of plastic pollution, raising concerns about human rights and environmental injustice. The adverse effects of plastic are especially acute for children in the womb and young children, with increased risks of prematurity, stillbirth, birth defects of the reproductive organs, neurodevelopmental impairment, impaired lung growth, and childhood cancer.
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The future of plastic
The 20th and 21st centuries have been dubbed the "Age of Plastic", and plastic has indeed become an essential part of our daily lives. However, the widespread adoption of plastic has had severe consequences for our health and the environment. The world and its oceans are being overrun by plastic, and if we do not change how we make and manage plastics, the problem of plastic pollution will continue to grow.
In 2022, senior representatives from 175 countries backed a resolution at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, to stop plastic pollution and make all plastics sustainable. The UN aims to address the whole life cycle of plastics, requiring them to be designed for reuse and recycling, and putting an end to single-use plastics.
Scientists are working on a new generation of plastics known as "bioplastics" or "bio-plastics", which can be tailored to be biodegradable or recyclable and produced from renewable resources. However, a change in consumer behaviour is also needed to reduce plastic pollution. The New Plastics Economy, a report by the World Economic Forum and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, outlines steps towards achieving a systemic shift in the way plastics are produced and used, with the aim of creating a global economy in which plastics never become waste.
Standardization can also play an important role in the future of plastics, by specifying characteristics for plastics and their supply chains to make them sustainable. This can help transform the life cycle of plastics from a linear model to a circular one, where plastics are reused and recycled instead of becoming waste.
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Frequently asked questions
The 20th and 21st centuries are considered the Plastics Age, but natural plastics have been used since antiquity.
The Plastics Age refers to the influence and ubiquity of plastic materials in modern society.
Animal horns, tortoiseshell, amber, rubber, and shellac are examples of natural plastics that have been used throughout history.
Parkesine, invented by Birmingham-born chemist Alexander Parkes and patented in 1862, is considered the first manufactured plastic.
Parkesine was used as a cheap and colourful substitute for ivory or tortoiseshell in the production of items such as combs and billiard balls, making them more affordable to consumers.
