Thanks to the demands of eco-conscious consumers, biodegradable and compostable plastics are cropping up everywhere. Are these green plastics the solution to our throwaway lifestyle? Well, it's complicated, as this video explains.
Can Plastic Be Composted?
Researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech, helped prove that lead levels were dangerously high in Flint, Michigan tap water, even when government officials denied the problem. This video interviews the researchers to see how they're using standard analytical chemistry to try and make water safer.
Chemistry and the Flint Water Crisis
Lint from fleece and other synthetic fibers is getting washed down the drain and entering aquatic ecosystems. Washing your fleece and other favorite synthetic fabrics releases lint, which is no surprise to anyone who's ever cleaned their dryer's lint trap. But washing machines, which don't have lint traps, can also liberate lint and send it into water systems. In this video, host Sarah Everts explains what researchers know about the impacts of lint fibers and what questions still remain.
The Dark Side of Fleece
Although most people prefer cooking with gas, this video demonstrates that gas stoves produce air pollutants in sufficient amounts that are harmful to human health and the environment.
Gas Stoves Are Polluting Homes
What happens to plastic bottles when you recycle them? Do they get made into fresh bottles, or do they become something else? This video explains why it's easier to turn plastic bottles into T-shirts than it is to fully recycle the containers.
How Plastic Recycling Works
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” are very stable compounds. As a result, thousands of PFAS have been invented for applications such as fire-fighting foams and nonstick coatings for pans. This video explores how long some PFAS might actually last in our bodies and the environment; the toxic effects of exposure to PFAS; and how chemists are trying to remove PFAS from the environment.
What Are Forever Chemicals?