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In this long history that vividly depicts the origin of plastic bags from their origins to growth, from invention to popularization, from exploration to innovation, we will keep pace with the times and witness the extraordinary achievements of those scientists who have brought convenience to our lives, including the outstanding Swiss chemist Szeinberg, the top British chemist Parkes, and the Austrian genius Max Schuschny, who is both beautiful and intelligent.
In the process, we will also re-examine how plastic bags have grown from newborn calves to an indispensable part of modern society.
The earliest appearance of plastic bags can be traced back to the middle of the 19th century on the European continent, when the Industrial Revolution was in full swing and there was an urgent need for a new environmentally friendly alternative to replace traditional paper bags and cloth bags.
Against this backdrop, let's go back to that long night in 1845, when Szernberg, Switzerland's most gifted chemist, lit a flickering candle in his cramped but loving laboratory, and went all out in the search for new materials.
After countless attempts and failures, he finally found a miracle substance with amazing plasticity and incomparable ability, paving the way for the birth of plastics in the future.
And what witnessed this great moment was perhaps the glittering excitement in Sernberg's eyes.
Time flies, and six years have passed in the blink of an eye. In the spring of 1851, Parkes of Birmingham, England, a brilliant young chemist, once again bravely pushed the door open to innovation.
By improving on the research results of his predecessors, he succeeded in the synthesis of the world's first thermoplastic, the terminal urethane.
Not only does the plastic soften easily at high temperatures and maintain a stable form at low temperatures, but it can also be reshaped by multiple heats to exhibit high plasticity, thus ushering in a new era of plastic applications.
Mr. Parks' excitement and pride at that time could only be felt by himself.
With the continuous progress of science and technology, plastic bags have gradually evolved from the initial packaging materials to the ubiquitous convenience tools in modern life, which is inseparable from the wisdom and hard work of countless scientists, who have created the brilliant development of plastic bags with sweat and efforts.
It was a clear, sunny morning, and on a busy street in the center of Nanning, Guangxi, a lively street food stall filled with tantalizing scents.
Mr. Lui, a veteran diner who has been here for many years, has just finished his daily morning workout and hurried three steps and two steps to the stall that he loves, casting an expectant look at the owner.
"Boss, please bring me a steaming bowl of wontons!" Mr. Lu exhaled with a hint of excitement and anticipation.
The stall took the initiative to make a quick profit, and after a while, he packed a bag of freshly baked wontons into a plastic bag and handed it to Mr. Lui. After Mr. Lu finished paying, he turned around and walked towards his home, taking out the wontons from the plastic bag as he went, and couldn't wait to taste them.
However, no one expected that the moment Mr. Lu swallowed the first bite of the wonton, a sharp pain suddenly came from his abdomen, and it was pitch black in front of him, almost making him faint on the spot.
Fortunately, there happened to be several familiar neighbors around at that time, and when they saw this scene, they immediately stepped forward to support Mr. Lu, who was about to fall, and rushed him to a nearby hospital for treatment.
After a detailed diagnosis by the doctors, they patiently explained to Mr. Lui that he was most likely poisoned by eating hot wontons in plastic bags. In a high-temperature environment, ordinary plastic bags can easily release chemicals that are harmful to the human body, and if these toxin-containing foods are consumed for a long time, it will cause serious damage to the body.
The doctor's words rang in Mr. Lui's ears like a wake-up call, and he deeply felt his carelessness. In fact, it was not unheard of similar accidents that had occurred, but it was only due to a momentary negligence that he ignored this potential danger.
According to experts, cases like Mr. Lu's are not isolated, and there have been a number of poisoning incidents caused by the use of plastic bags to pack hot food.
In addition, the potential hazards of plastic bags themselves cannot be ignored. For example, toxic chemicals such as plasticizers and benzopyrene are quickly released when exposed to high temperatures, contaminating the food chain and increasing the risk of cancer and other diseases.
Even more worrying are the health risks posed by microplastics. Microplastics are tiny particles formed by the gradual weathering and aging of large plastic products in the natural environment, although they cannot be directly observed by the naked eye, they may eventually enter the human body through the food chain, posing a great threat to public health.
Whenever Mr. Lu thinks that microplastics may be sneaking into his body unconsciously, Mr. Lu can't help but feel a chill down his spine and his heart tighten! In the face of so many hidden dangers and dangers, how can we not pay close attention to them? Mr. Lu's personal experience has undoubtedly sounded the alarm for everyone, and the potential harm caused by plastic bags to human health cannot be ignored for a long time.
In this session, we'll explore the deep scars plastic bags have caused to the planet. According to statistics, some agricultural areas in India contain a staggering 4 tonnes of plastic bag residue per hectare of soil, and in the vast ocean, marine life is also under merciless siege by plastic bags.
It is worth pondering that the decomposition process of plastic products is extremely slow, and even leads to the occupation of large areas of valuable land resources for a long time.
In the vast rice fields of northern India, a simple old farmer walks through his farmland. The scorching sun shone uncontrollably on his weather-beaten face, but there was a deep worry in his eyes.
As he picked up a handful of dirt, the fragments of the plastic bag fell in a flutter, causing him to frown.
According to data from authoritative research institutes, the area contains up to 4 tonnes of plastic bag residue per hectare of soil, which severely hinders the delivery of water and nutrients to plant roots, resulting in reduced crop yields year after year.
Looking at the withered and yellowed crops in the field, the old farmer's heart was filled with endless loss and helplessness.
However, the deterioration of the terrestrial environment is only the tip of the iceberg of the problems posed by plastic bags. What is even more shocking is that the extent of the damage to the marine ecosystem caused by plastic bags is even more jaw-dropping.
Countless discarded plastic bags continue to pour into the sea along with the river water, bringing unprecedented challenges to the survival of marine life.
Somewhere on the beach, a poor sea turtle lies in agony, its mouth stuffed with a tattered plastic bag, and the corpses of its own kind lying beside it...... This harrowing scene is reminiscent of the striking images of plastic on marine life in Blue Planet.
We are accustomed to thinking that distant disasters never seem to befall us, but we often ignore that those seemingly inconspicuous plastic bags are actually the killers that are quietly coming to us.
The life cycle of plastic products is extremely long, ranging from a short decade to hundreds or thousands of years, and most of them take hundreds of years to completely decompose.
In the past, we turned a deaf ear to this "permanent garbage" and allowed it to wreak havoc on land and into the depths of the ocean. However, today's ecological defenses are in full holes, and the haze of plastic pollution hangs over the whole world like a huge black shadow, and we urgently call for us to remain vigilant and keep the green planet alive for the sake of future generations.
In the face of such a grim situation, should we deeply reflect on our insensitivity and ignorance and shallowness? Should we take our own responsibilities and pay the price for our mistakes? Or do we still choose to turn a blind eye and not panic until the last piece of pure land is also polluted? The serious damage caused by plastic bags to the environment is gradually evolving into a silent disaster, and whether we can prevent this crisis depends on whether we have the courage to face the core of the problem!
After revealing the truth about the harm of plastic bags to the environment and human health, we will revisit the enormous pressure caused by the trillions of plastic bags consumed globally every year in real life.
This urgency is undoubtedly a warning to us that immediate action must be taken.
What does this mean exactly? This means that over time, the number of plastic bags abandoned on the planet will grow exponentially, and may eventually have no place to stay, bringing devastating blows to entire ecosystems!
Even more worrying is the fact that the culprit for the proliferation of plastic bags is the daily behavior of each and every one of us. Whether it's carrying plastic bags when shopping, using them to package takeaway food, or even throwing them away at will, these seemingly trivial things are actually the culprits driving the proliferation of plastic bags.
Over time, due to a lack of attention and education, we have taken the use of plastic bags for granted, turning a blind eye to the enormous pressure it places on ecosystems.
It is precisely this habitual paralyzing mentality that has gradually plunged us into the predicament of the destruction of the living environment, and only time is running out.