From the phone in your hand to the glitter in your eyeshadow, plastic is everywhere, lurking in our water, our lungs and even some of our nuts. But the truth about this controversial material is much creepier than meets the eye. Case in point? All of the weird facts scientists have discovered about this synthetic material.
From what gum is actually made of to just how much microplastic is lurking in a bottle of water, here are 21 creepy facts about plastic to help you get your credit card's worth.
1
“There is plastic eating bacteria that can turn trash into silk. Scientists turned to bacteria that are naturally able to consume polyethylene. They then genetically edited the microbes so that they could also produce a silk-like material.”
2
Microplastics were found in every single t—cle sampled in a recent study.
3
“Plastic and petroleum were originally environmental saviours, because they eliminated the need to kill whales, elephants, turtles, and many other creatures for their materials.”
4
Researchers were able to identify 12 different types of plastics in the lungs of living people
5
“Driving one mile uses the equivalent petroleum needed to make 14 plastic bags. A 24mpg car with a 15 gallon tank equivalently burns over 5000 plastic bags per fill.”
6
“Only 9% of all plastic waste ever produced has been recycled.”
7
“Sea salt around the world is contaminated with plastic. Microplastics were found in salt from the UK, France, Spain, China and USA. The plastic mainly comes from water bottles.”
8
“A type of plastic can be made from Milk. The resulting product is odourless, insoluble in water, biodegradable, antiallergenic, antistatic and virtually nonflammable.”
9
It is possible to heat plastic back into oil through a process called “Plastic Pyrolysis.”
10
“At least 22 million gallons of water is trapped in plastic bottles and thrown into landfills annually in US alone.”
11
“One litre (liter) of bottled water contains, on average, 240,000 pieces of plastic.”
12
“Many toothpastes contain small plastic beads which may lodge in the gums, are likely harmful to the environment, and are included in toothpaste for decorative purposes only.”
13
“A study showed that an average of 325 plastic particles were found in a liter of bottled water as compared to 5.5 plastic particles per liter of tap water.”
14
“Half of all plastics ever made were made in the last 15 years.”
15
“There is a Girl Scout Badge called ‘The Wonders of Polymer’ badge supported by the Society of Plastics Engineers. The provided video asset claims, ‘Some people think they're doing a good thing by advocating for a plastics free world, but that's not really possible.’”
16
“Many BPA-free plastics contain BPS, a similar chemical that can affect cells the same way. 81% of Americans have BPS in their urine.”
17
“In 2017, researchers found a plastic bag at the bottom of Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the ocean (36,000 feet down).”“in 2017, researchers found a plastic bag at the bottom of Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the ocean (36,000 feet down).”
18
“Car tires are major source of ocean microplastics and more than 200,000 tonnes of tiny plastic particles are blown from roads into the oceans every year.”
19
“Wooden cutting boards are half as likely to cross contaminate salmonella as plastic.”
20
“Chewing gum is primarily made of rubber and plastic.”
21
“Every year 481 billion plastic bottles are sold, more than enough to bury the Burj Khalifa!.”
