PVC Plastics Polyvinyl Chloride

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a popular thermoplastic that contains high levels of chlorine which can reach up to 57%. Carbon, which is derived from oil or gas is also used in its fabrication. It is an odorless and solid plastic that is white, brittle and can also be found on the market in the form of pellets or white powder. PVC resin is often supplied in the powder forms and its high resistance to oxidation and degradation make it possible to store the material for long periods. Some authors/activists that oppose the manufacturers of PVC often refer to it as the Poison Plastic due to the toxic pollutants it might release. When plasticizers are added it becomes softer and more flexible. Uses of PVC PVC is predominant in the construction industry due to its low production cost, malleability, and light weight. It is used as a replacement for metal in many applications where corrosion can compromise functionality and escalate maintenance costs. Many of the worlds pipes are made from PVC and these are used in industrial and municipal applications. It is also used to make pipe fitting and pipe conduits. It does not have to be welded and can be connected with the use of joints, solvent cement and special glues--key points that highlight its installation flexibility. The material is also present in the electrical components such as electrical insulation, wires, and cable coatings. In the healthcare industry, it is used to make feeding tubes, blood bags, intravenous (IV) bags, parts of dialysis devices and many other items. This is only possible when phthalates are added to it. Phthalates are used as plasticizers to produce flexible grades of PVC (and other plastics), thus making it better suited for the aforementioned applications due to improved performance characteristics. Common consumer products such as raincoats, plastic bags, toys, credit cards, hoses, doors and window frames and shower curtains are also made from PVC. This is not an exhaustive list of the many products that can be found around the household with PVC as its main constituent. Advantages of PVC As mentioned earlier, PVC is a low-cost material that is lightweight and as such, is easy to handle and install. Compared to other types of polymers, its manufacturing process is not limited to the use of crude oil or natural gas. Some use this point to argue that it a sustainable plastic since these forms of energy are known to be nonrenewable. PVC is also a durable material and is not affected by corrosion or other forms of degradation.   It can easily be converted into different forms making its use across various industries an evident advantage. Being a thermoplastic it can be recycled and converted into new products for different industries, but this is not an easy process due to the many formulations used to manufacture PVC. It also presents chemical stability which is an important factor when PVC products are applied in environments with different types of chemicals. This characteristic guarantees that it maintains its properties without undergoing significant changes when chemicals are added.   Other advantages include: BiocompatibleClarity and transparencyResistance to chemical stress crackingLow thermal conductivityRequires little to no maintenance Disadvantages of PVC PVC is often referred to as the Poison Plastic and this is due to the toxins it can release during manufacture, when exposed to fire, or decomposed in landfills. These toxins have been linked to health problems that include, but are not limited to cancer, birth development problems, endocrine disruption, asthma, and lung problems. While many PVC manufacturers point to its high content of salt as being a major advantage, it is this main ingredient along with the possible release of dioxin and phthalate that are possible contributing factors to the hazards it might pose to human health and the environment. The health concerns of PVC plastics, if any, are still highly debatable. Future of PVC Plastics PVC plastics account for a lot of plastics that are used in the world today. This material is ranked as the third most used plastic falling behind  polyethylene  and  polypropylene. The concerns regarding its threat to human health have prompted research around the use of sugarcane ethanol as the feedstock for PVC instead of naphtha. Additional research is also being conducted on bio-based plasticizers as a solution for phthalate-free plasticizers. These experiments are still in their initial stages, but the hope is to develop more sustainable forms of PVC that do not affect human health or threaten the environment during the manufacture, use and disposal stages. With the many excellent characteristics that PVC presents, it continues to be a widely used plastic across various industries.

The Exploitation Of Africans And Members Of The African...

Throughout American history, the exploitation of Africans and members of the African diaspora continues as a controversial topic among cultural critics because of America’s unwillingness to accept the flaws of its past. Discussions on whether the sentiments of slavery still impact people of the African diaspora are intricate. Furthermore, the marginalization of people of the African Diaspora continues to complexify the issue. Social concepts in modern America such as education, nationhood, fact making, discrimination, racism, systematic oppression, etc. all relate back to history, specifically slavery. Ultimately, Europeans’ dehumanization, exploitation, and demoralization of African slaves during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries†¦show more content†¦Comparable with hunting, after you find and capture a slave you must prevent them from escaping. In preparation of a revolt, Europeans would have multiple tactics in place to instill control, â€Å"European s had learned to prepare for rebellion as early as 1651.† (Gomez 76). Forcing nakedness upon the Africans created a sense of vulnerability; furthermore, Europeans apprehended African men with wrist and ankle chains to avoid rebellion. Comparatively, women were chained and kept separate from their male counterparts to discourage escape. Separating the men and women was not solely in case of revolt, it was also a way to control the slaves mentally and physically. According to Gomez, â€Å"the separation of male and female captives also facilitated the long, sordid history of the rape of African women and girls by European men, a humiliation that began before they were ever sold to the New World† (76). These dark methods along with many others would influence the future treatment Africans and eventually people of African descent experience, painting a bleak narrative in the Americas riddled with racism, prejudice, discrimination, and oppression. Problems such as discrimination, exclusivity, separation, and racism significantly affect the Black identity and relate back to Slavery. Europeans’ successful efforts to control African Slaves have resulted in a series of modernShow MoreRelatedEssay on African Diaspora1818 Words   |  8 Pageswhat is the African diaspora? (Who should be considered in the African diaspora? How is this like the black Atlantic and how is it different?). Students should use the Colin Palmer piece to answer this question. In its most recognizable form, the African diaspora refers to the many cultures and societies abroad that exist throughout the world as the result of the historic movement, mostly forced, of native Africans to other parts of the globe. 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In the life of obsessive Jonas brother fans. free essay sample

You park the car and start walking. You look around and see the sleeping bags laid out on the sides of the roads, the tents set up near the Port-a-Potties, and the huge line wrapping around the entire arena. You wait on the hour-line just to pour out your love in marker on the tour bus. You hear screams and cries from outside the arena. You can hear the excitement growing and getting more intense. You finally walk into the arena to find thousands and thousands of people. You wait and fight with people on line to buy a new poster, or a new shirt, or even a glow stick to try and get their attention. As you start walking to your seat, you look around and see the skinny jeans jumping up and down; you see every color Ray Ban ever made; you see the t-shirts with the faces and lyrics of your favorite band on them; clearest of all, you see the huge signs screaming â€Å"I LOVE YOU, NICK,† or the signs quoting the lyrics of their songs â€Å"JOE, I’M BURNING UP FOR YOU, BABY!à ¢â‚¬  You even see the occasional signs asking, â€Å"KEVIN, WILL YOU MARRY ME?† There’s more to the tears rolling down the girls’ faces, and there’s more to the obnoxious signs and piercing screams. We will write a custom essay sample on In the life of obsessive Jonas brother fans. or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This involves love and dedication. This describes my life. This describes the place where I belong and the place where I love to be. This is the definition of the obsessive Jonas Brothers fan

Section B pre 1914 and post 1914 poetry Essay Example

Section B: pre 1914 and post 1914 poetry Essay 22. Compare the way the poets present family relationships in two poems from List A and two from List A. Family relationships are evident in many of the poems in the anthology, they are central to most peoples lives, and the poems present how these relationships can change with age, and how they often fraught with conflict. I have decided to analyse: Digging by Heaney, Baby-sitting by Clarke, The Affliction of Margaret (TAOM) by Wordsworth and On my first Sonne (OMFS) by Jonson. In Digging, Heaney presents a relationship that spans three generations; the author, his father and his grandfather. The respect, admiration and love with which the young Heaney feels for his elders contrasts with the poets admitted apathy and coldness towards an unrelated child in Baby-sitting: I dont love / This baby. In TAOM, Wordsworth uses powerful imaginary to portray a mothers tormented anguish over her fragmented relationship with her son. Seven years, alas! to have received / No tidings of an only child, she laments. In OMFS, the poet writes as though he is talking to his much-loved son, and suggests that his greatest achievement, his best piece of poetry; is the boy. Both poems involve strong, powerful emotions: the love that a parent feels for their child, both parents grieve for their children, although in Affliction of Margaret the exact fate of the child, now an adult, is unknown. We will write a custom essay sample on Section B: pre 1914 and post 1914 poetry specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Section B: pre 1914 and post 1914 poetry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Section B: pre 1914 and post 1914 poetry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Digging, contrasts the hard physical lives of parent and grandparent to the somewhat easier life of a writer, although the author is wistful of their skilful labours. At the start, the poet sees his old father digging in the garden, and this reminds him of how skilled and strong his father and grandfather were at digging; By God, the old man could handle a spade. However, the poet appears to feel guilt that he has not followed in their footsteps, while his father is outside digging; he is inside writing. He says, Ive no spade to follow men like them as if he knows he lacks their strength and perseverance. Once I carried him milk in a bottle / Corked sloppily with paper. He straightened up / To drink it, then fell to it right away. The phrase corked sloppily with paper suggests that the author feels inadequate, he brings refreshment but his father is so absorbed with his task that he only pauses briefly to drink, unaware of the boys presence. By the end of the poem, Heaney feels more triumphant and hopes to gain the same pride and sense of worth with the use of a pen as previous generations did with a spade; The squat pen rests. / Ill dig with it. The poem ends with this emotional phrase as the poet reconciles himself by drawing similarities from the pen and the spade. Similarly, TAOM and OMFS are poems in which the protagonist idolises a family member. In TAOM, a woman called Margaret worries over her son who disappeared 7 years ago, and even though the reader never meets the son, he is an important character in the poem. Margarets memories of her son are warm, loving and positive, she says He was among the prime in worth, / An object beauteous to behold. However, Margarets love appears to border on obsession, and the reader wonders whether Margarets suffocating adoration of the child offers a hint of the true reason for the sons absence and lack of contact. Margaret says, Of Him I wait for day and night, the capital H reflects Margarets infatuation and worship of the absent child, as a deity. Jonson also expresses strong emotions similar to Margarets in OMFS. Jonsons relationship with his son was such that; upon the childs passing, Jonson actually says he envies his son, because in heaven you do not have to deal with all the travesties that happen in life: For why / Will man lament the state he should envie?. The poem is written as though Jonson is talking directly to his son: thowert lent to me, and I thee pay. This is a very personal sentiment, and the reader really feels how close he and his son were, as though the poem is intended to be his childs eulogy. Jonson also uses language found usually on gravestones, for example: here doth lye; this enforces the fact that the poet is writing a speech in praise and tribute of his recently deceased child. A poem which depicts a dysfunctional, abnormal parent/child relationship, is Baby-sitting; in the poem, Clarke skilfully uses language to present her feelings as a mother looking after someone elses child, in a house which isnt hers. Clarke almost sounds emotionless at times, and describes the baby in an uncaring, business-like way: She is a perfectly acceptable child. She feels detached from the girl and seems to see her as an object and an inconvenience, rather than a human. Clarke even uses the recurring semantic field of witchcraft with phrases like: enchant and familiar, to suggest that the child is otherworldly.