this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2025
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TIL: https://newatlas.com/science/paracetamol-manufacturing-trees/
We have a former chemist working in our department and I talked to him about skin care etc and I mentioned Vaseline and said that it's made from or is a byproduct of refining oil. He said something along the lines of "yeah, basically everything is".
His view was probably warped, but still an interesting point
No, it's actually crazy.
Clothing. Chewing gum. Carpets. Detergents (meaning most "soap"). Paint. Glue.
Packaging (obviously), but the paper and metal stuff usually has a plastic coating
If you aren't sure what something is made of, it's probably petrochemical... And even then, there's likely some coating or binder
But isn't that probably ok? Packaging is an irresponsible application but aren't the others modern marvels? Like if we didn't use petroleum for fuel, would the world be ok with those other uses?
Lol hell no.
We had all that before! The old solutions were better in almost every way but cost. It also didn't fill the world with micro plastics
You can still get real soap, it's better for your skin. You can still get real clothes, they're far more durable and lasts hundreds of times longer. You can buy real gum, I haven't found any to try yet but apparently it doesn't keep flavor for as long, but it also doesn't fill your body with micro plastics
Obviously there's exceptions - like glass made with plastics are an actual modern marvel. Some healthcare devices basically require certain plastics