PHTHALATES
1.
What are phthalates?
-They
are additives used in plastic products that increase
flexibility,durability and transferency.
2.Where
can we find them?
-We
find them in common flexible plastic products.
3.Are
they dangerous? Why?
-They
are very dangerous because, although they are part of a plastic, they
can easily escape and get our bodies. We can find them in products
that are very close to our lifes: babies toys, cosmetics, food
containers,...
4.What
are the two young scientists trying to do?
-They
are trying to give a solution to the accumulation of plastics. There
is too much plastic waste and it will take hundreds of years until
it is degraded. Their idea is to break plastics down with
bacteria instead of waiting so many years.
5.Give
your opinion about their work and their achievements.
-I
love people that are so enthusiastic and don´t mind to experiment
and take risks. There is a big and important problem all over the
world with waste and plastic in particular. The idea that bacterias
can break down plastic is very interesting and if it works it can be
a solution for all of us.
6.What
is an accident? Is always a bad thing? Give some examples of positive
results from accidents.
-We
usually consider an accident as a harmful, unfortunate and even
dangerous situation. But they are not always like that.
-There
are many examples where accidents have given the opportunity to know
and discover something new.
1.
Alexander Fleming discovered the penicillin by accident,and we know a
lot about bacterias thanks to him.
2.
Percy Spencer, an engineer, was known as an electronics genius.In
1945,Spencer
was fiddling with microwave-emitting magnetron when
he
felt a strange sensation in his pants.So because of this he figured
it
out
and i invented a microwave-oven.
3.
A Swiss engineer,George de Mestral,was out for a hunting trip with
his dog.
He
noticed the annoying tendency of burrs to stick to its
fur.Later,looking under a microscope,Mestral observed the tiny
"hooks" that stuck burrs to fabrics and furs.Mestral
experimented for years and inventedVelcro.
