Plástico

The world consumes more than 300 million tons of plastic each year. When did we start using plastic? And why? Where does all the plastic waste end up? Over the last century, the use of plastic has expanded so much that it has become a huge environmental problem. What can we do about it? In 1992, a shipwreck sent thousands of plastic bath toys adrift through the ocean; curiously, the toys do not disintegrate despite their "long and unusual journey". From this introduction, readers are launched into a close examination of plastic: how it came about, how it is made and used, and how it has changed the world, for better and for worse. The book objectively presents the contributions of this petroleum-derived substance to the field of medicine and the accessibility of manufactured products, as well as its growing impact on the environment.