This is just to share with you my Ph.D updates. It has been already137 days since I registered as a Ph.D student.
1. Quartz reactor I'm going to used quartz tube as a reactor for my experimental research. The funny thing is I'm having difficulties in getting them. I don't understand all these manufacturers/suppliers. I have contacted 4 quartz tube manufacturer around the world. They responded, but after I gave them my design, none of them return back to me. Are they genuinely quartz manufacturer? If you know any reliable quartz tube manufacturer, please help me. Thanks. That's it, I only need new quartz tube with my own design to begin my experiments.
2. Preparing my First Stage Proposal I'm in the midst of preparing my Ph.D proposal . I wish I can complete them as soon as possible and present them in my second semester.
3. Learning Matlab I've just started working on the thermodynamic studies of my reaction. It is not a simple task learning and doing all this. I need to study the reaction kinetics of the reactions. Calculate the heat enthalphy and Gibbs Free energy. Then use Matlab software to simulate the reactions. My supervisor insist me to use Matlab. Now, I need help in Matlab.
4. Paper presentation I'll be presenting 2 papers this coming December, both in a national level conference. One is ESTEC'09 which is hosted by Universiti Malaysia Trengganu (UMT) and the other one will is RCSSST'09 hosted by Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UNIMAP).
5. Journals ??? I'm also preparing my first paper to be submitted to a journal I haven't decide yet. Need to get them ready fast.
I participated in the 1st German-Singaporean Symposium on Catalysis on the 2nd of November 2009. My supervisor brought me along after being invited to the symposium. It was my first visit and outing after registering as a Ph.D student last July.
1st Day - Catalysis Symposium
From this symposium, I was hoping to learn as much as possible from the experts, scientists and researchers from both German and Singapore. The event took place at Biopolis Matrix, Singapore. The hall was full with students (whom I presumed are all researchers in the field of catalysis engineering sciences).
There were several topics that caught my interest while some did not. Those were the one related to Oxidative Coupling of Methane (OCM) which I did for my masters research 8 years ago. Unfortunately, nothing was related to my current Ph.D topic, but that's fine. I'm glad that exposed to the research atmosphere in Singapore and I really think they are working very hard to establish themselves (in the field of research and development).
2nd Day - Technical Visit The second day was really exciting and I was looking forward for it. It was the technical visit session. We gathered at Atrium Hotel and with the entire German professors, we were brought to Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (ICES), Jurong Island, Singapore.
One of the professor from German delivering his presentation (1st day)
Biopolis Matrix from the side (1st day)
Hanging some memories on the wall... :)
Check out the name of the meeting rooms in ICES - famous scientist names
Scenery from the meeting room in ICES. The meeting room view is spectacular.
Another view from the meeting room. Jurong Island is indeed a powerful force as heavy industry is concerned. Lots of ships, offshore rigs/platform, plants etc.
This was taken in the meeting room after we got lost during the lab facilities tour.
After the ICES visit, we went to Nanyang Technological University (NTU). We visited the Chemistry - Mathematics Department. After a short briefing from the head of department, we visited their state of the art laboratories.
Undergraduate students at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) very tentative at their work. It's very impressive that NTU has hundreds of fume cupboards for their students. This is the best lab I've seen so far. Very neat, clean, well organized and beautiful. Every students have their own dedicated fume cupboard to perform their experiments and they are exposed to research in their early undergraduate years. Very impressive.
The labs are huge and complete with advance equipments. What can a researcher like me as for more if I do research here? They also have 5 units of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and will add another 3 units. I cannot help myself counting the number of Gas Chromatography (GC) they have in their lab. Not to mention, other analytical equipments...
The digital mass balance are also ready to be used by the students...
The German delegates at the Biology Department foyer after meeting up/briefing.
Conclusion
The symposium was superb. I learned a lot from it. I get to know some key researchers. The technical visits were splendid and meaningful. I loved it. I get to see a very advance research center - that's ICES. On top of that I also managed to learned a lot from the visit to NTU's chemistry lab. The labs are excellent and is destined for quality research. Any researchers from any part of the world will want to work with either of this 2 wonderful and well equipped labs. This clearly shows the investment by the government of Singapore to establish their research and development to a world class standard. The commitment and seriousness are there and I won't be surprised if Singapore becomes a research center for this region.
I managed to do some networking and also learned about Singapore Catalysis Society. This, I hope will help me strengthened my research motivation.
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Hi there... How are you? Last month I published Engineering Ethics 101 Videos. The intention is mainly to educate ourselves on the important of engineering ethics. Now I'm continuing the series of engineering ethics video part 4-6.
Part 4: Can You Keep a Secret? Confidentiality & Engineering
Synopsis of part 4: Engineers often find themselves in roles that require keeping of a confidence. In this video, Michael Loui describes different types of secrets and an engineers ethical and legal obligations to keep them.
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Synopsis of part 5: Making decisions ethically is an important part of being an engineer. In this video, Michael Loui addresses a variety of tests for considering whether a decision is ethical or not and applies them to everyday cases.
Part 6: Professional Ethics in Engineering, The Citicorp Center Case
Michael C. Loui presents the 6th video in the series Professional Ethics in Engineering with a classic example for us to have better comprehension on the real engineering ethics.
To view Part 1-3 of the engineering ethics video, please click here.
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When I did my chemical engineering degree, I was not exposed to the engineering ethics. Now that I know the importance of engineering ethics, plus my quest to be a professional engineer, I'm progressively learning about engineering ethics. Learning from my own mentor (from IEM) is one way. Another way is to learn it from the book. However, I found it easier to learn the basics by watching video. I was searching about engineering ethic videos and found a set of fantastic video by Prof. Michael C. Loui. Though he is from the electrical engineering background, but the engineering ethics content is generally the same. The video is simple, easy to comprehend and I believe it can provide us good understanding on what is Engineering ethics.
Part 1: Engineering Ethics 101 - Professionalism
We need to really understand that engineering is a profession, and one way that professions distinguish themselves is by having and enforcing a code of ethics. The code of ethics are very important. Without it, engineers would not earn the respect like it earned today. Students and junior engineers need to be exposed with this. Check out the first video on Engineering Ethics 101 - Professionalism.
Part 2: Ethics & the Responsible Engineer
Taking responsibility for one's actions is an important part of being an engineer. In this video, Michael Loui reviews different types of responsibility and gives case examples from notable engineering failures.
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Part 3: Conflicts of Interest for Engineers
Many engineering engagements are frought with conflicts of interest. This (3rd) video explains what they are, how they can be avoided, and how the can be dealt with when they cannot be avoided.
There are more videos, but lets digest the first 3 videos. I'll publish the other videos later.
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Check out this short but informative video. The video shares some good renewable energy project ideas that can be further explored, improved and developed. The project is carried out by students at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering to develop renewable energy projects for a summer course. The course, directed by Dr. Mahendra Sunkara, is the first project for the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research and Environmental Stewardship. Students were asked to develop systems using a variety of different backgrounds, from chemical engineering to physics.
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I still recall when I was a process engineer working in a refinery plant, there are some operator(s) working alone in a small plant and he sits in a small control room. Similar scenario for a boilerman who normally operates alone in the boiler house on his shifts. This is a normal situation in a small plant(s) and I sometimes imagine what happen if suddenly something happen to this fellows? If suddenly they are sick and/or get a heart attack, what will happen to the guy and the plant/boiler or other units he is operating? Who will know what is happening at that instant? The fact that nowadays, we can see healthy people suddenly collapse, higher percentage would be due to high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack which is occasionally due to bad eating habit and unhealthy lifestyle.
I have thought of a device, tool or alarm to alert somebody, possibly an senior technician, supervisor, engineer or manager whenever anything bad happens to their operator or boilerman. I surfed and searched the net and I found a website called Brickhouse Alert that provide a device that can alert the other party whenever anything (that they define) happen. A message or signal will be instantaneously be sent to the other party to inform on what has happen. The product can be installed at home and and has a Fall Detection detector that alerts 24/7 emergency personnel that something or a person have fallen. The person experiencing the emergency can even push a button and an emergency signal is sent.
On top of that, there is also a monitored smoke detector and a help button that if someone falls on the ground, they can smack it and will get help, medication reminders, inactivity detector and so much more. Smoke detector can off course detect fire before it become worse. Interestingly, as I browsed further in the web, I found out that the device is really cleaver. It can be programmed to detect "no movement" or "movement".
I guess that if this kind of product which is provided by BrickHouse Alert can be modified or suited for process plant or manufacturing industry application, it will be great. If I'm still a process engineer, I'll recommend such product to my company. Before I left my ex-company, an integrated computer system a.k.a a centralized control system was in progressed that can allow the engineers and managers to monitor all the production and utility data online. Those are made in concern of business but having a life alert will be display any company concern to their manpower. I also believe this product should be installed in offshore platforms / oil rigs where safety is extremely crucial for the staffs there.
I'm not sure of you but, though the product is mainly to cater for any situation in a house, I believe applying it in a more diverse industry and operation can be a huge success especially when valuing safety and profitability factor.
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There's undeniably a wide range of fields and discipline under chemical engineering. There are physical refining, research and development, plant processing, academician, safety and health, environmental and plenty others. All this expert area surely requires specific equipments, tools and gadget in order to run or operate the process.
One imperative equipment that chemical engineers working in the environmental fields and/or sales engineer require due to massive traveling is GPS which stands for Global Positioning System. GPS is space-based global navigation satellite system that provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to worldwide users on a continuous basis in all weather, day and night, anywhere on or near the Earth. It is with no doubt a very important equipment to locate or mark specific locations.
Personally, I also used a GPS to travel to certain unknown destination and also to marked important points of location. We (me and my wife) own 2 GPS presently, one is via her cell phone and the other one is a dedicated tough Garmin GPS for mountain hikers. For some, GPS might be an alien for you but you'll needed it very much, depending on your job scope. It will safe you a lot of hassle if you are traveling. To get a set of GPS, you can easily and efficiently browse at shopwiki. They provide massive range of GPS with various features and models. You can choose the GPS based on the types (hand held, car, cellphone, laptop, watch, nautical) or outdoor type (Garmin hand held personal navigator or Uniden 28 Mile GMRS Radio 2 Pack with Charging Cradle and Battery Packs) or special touch hand held GPS system.
In extreme conditions, when the basic seems simply inadequate, you can select for more advance GPS such as HP iPAQ rx5900 or Garmin Edge 350. Those two are example of very excellent, high end and advance GPS system. For example, GArmin Edge 350, not only can do what normal GPS can do but also amazingly can tracks heart rate, speed and other exercise features. This is a good choice for engineers to keep track of their health while working diligently.
In conclusion, I strongly think that GPS is a very excellent tool to ease our job but it also depends on our job nature. Those who do not frequently travel or have projects scattered in various location may not think this is a tool they need to own. It's up to you. For me, it has proven to be cost effective in the aspect of time saving and working efficiently.
I have just recently created a new website. It is called Chemical Engineering Question and Answer. I was actually inspired to create this website because I find it easier and fun learning through a series of question and answer format. It's more enjoyable.
For this post, I'm going to extract one set of question and answer about somebody asking how to become a chemical engineer. This is how it works... Somebody will ask a question and readers will try their best to answer the question as accurate as possible. This is basically adopted from Yahoo answer. I hope for those are considering to be a chemical engineer
Question: How Do I Go About Becoming A Chemical Engineer?
What do I have to do and what are the things I should be studying at the moment outside of highschool? I am still a junior.
Answers 1: Take all the science and math classes you can and even take dual classes at your local community college. Talk with your career adviser and look into what colleges offer this degree and what type of classes you’d be taking to get a grasp of what you can expect.
Answers 2: As the name of the profession suggests, be good in both mathematics and chemistry. If you intend to be a chemical engineer working in the food or biological industries, a solid background in biology will help too.
Answers 3: I have a dual degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. For any engineering you will need to be strong in mathematics and physics with an emphasis on the chemistry side for a chemical engineer. But mathematics is the most important by far, you’ll need to be good algebra and trigonometry to do well in calculus and good in calculus to get through differential equations.
Answers 4: Take all the high school maths and sciences. Generally try to enjoy high school and learn how to study. That will come in handy in university. If you can get do some extra calculus work in high school to make the transition to university math easier. You should be very interested in your high school chemistry classes if you plan to be a chemical engineer. Note that chemical engineering is usually focused on producing stuff, not inventing new products. Make sure you’re not actually interested in being a chemist or bio-engineering which are more focussed on designing new drugs or chemicals.
Answers 5: My daughter is a chemical engineer. You will need to study lots of Mathematics, especially Calculus. On top of that, you need to study physics and of course chemistry. Good luck, it’s a great major that can prepare you for anything….including medical school.
Answers 6: Chemical Engineering is the science of converting laboratory experiments into reality and application. It is a wonderful and interesting field. I know that I am talking about your choice to become a chemical engineer, and not really addressing your question of what to do prior. Before you decide to do that, I recommend you assure yourself that this is what you want, because it is not going to be a picnic my friend. It is really hard, but once you get a grip of it, things will automatically smoothen. I honestly recommend Petroleum Engineering as this science is blooming and they are considered as the highest paid engineers in the industry. If you still want to be a chemical engineer, then I recommend you do lots of reading on chemistry, organic chemistry and read about how things are made and what are they made of. Wish you the best.
My answer: As a high school student, focused and be good at Mathematics, physics, chemistry. Those are the fundamentals. At the same time, learn more about chemical engineering through associations such as IChemE, AIChemE, IEM etc. You'll get some direct knowledge on what chemical engineers do. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Have you downloaded my free "Choosing Alternative Fuel" Ebook? If not, then please download it here. It's Free and on top of getting the free ebook, you'll get eCourse on Alternative Fuel. It's a good and easy way to add more valuable information to yourself.
There's definitely no doubt that energy is a very crucial element in our lives. Early 2008, we have seen how high the petroleum price rises, more than $130 per barrel. Then towards the end of 2008 and early 2009, the petroleum price reduces to around $40-50 per barrel, which made everyone relieved. Now, we are witnessing an increase of petroleum price again. As up to this post was written, the price of crude petroleum is $67.79 per barrel. Personally, I don't want the price to increase again, and I believe none of you want that to happen as well. The current petroleum price increase has made the government in my country increase the price of petrol (gasoline) by 25 cents per liter (Malaysian currency).
Hence it is imperative for us to identify and choose alternative energy, and not depending solely on petroleum for our petrol (gasoline). In conjunction with that, I am giving away, FREE OF CHARGE, an e-book entitled "Choosing Alternative Fuel - How to save our environment and save your money". This book can easily be priced at $20 or $30 per copy, but I'm giving it away for you to read, learn, comprehend and if possible practice. It does not end there. On top of getting a free but extremely precious ebook, I'm going to give a free e-Course on Alternative Energy.
Here are the chapters covered in the e-book.
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………… 5 Chapter 1 - What Are Alternative Fuels …………………………………7 Chapter 2 - Gasoline and Oil ………………………………………………... 9 Chapter 3 - Why Are Gas Prices So High ………………………………16 Chapter 4 - Alternative Fuel Vehicles ……………………………………19 Chapter 5 - All About Alternative Fuels …………………………………25 Ethanol ……………………………………………………………………………… 25 Methanol ………………………………………………………………………… 28 Compressed Natural Gas ……………………………………………………29 Electricity …………………………………………………………………………32 Solar Power ……………………………………………………………………… 35 Hydrogen …………………………………………………………………………37 Liquefied Natural Gas ………………………………………………………40 Liquefied Petroleum Gas …………………………………………………. 41 Biodiesel ………………………………………………………………………… 43 Chapter 6 - Environmental Damage ……………………………………… 46 Chapter 7 - Global Warming …………………………………………………50 Chapter 8 - Alternative Fuel According to the Numbers …………54 Chapter 9 - What’s Uncle Sam Doing? ………………………………… 73 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………….79
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I'm sorry. I know I'm suppose to share and write a post about having my article printed in the Yellow Pages Energy Guide. But, I think my recent experience during the GC calibration was very worth sharing.
Brief Introduction of our Gas Chromatography
Our research Chemical Reaction Engineering Group (CREG) have 3 Gas Chromatography (GC) Thermal Conductive Detector (TCD). All of them are HP Agilent 6890 model. We have labeled them as GC 1, GC 2 and GC 3. I have personally used 1 of the older GC-TCD (GC 2) when doing my masters degree 9 years ago. GC 2 is the simplest of our GC-TCD. It can only analyze gasses compound and have only 2 columns inside it which are Molecular sieve and Porapak N column. GC 1 and GC 3 are far advance then GC 2. Both of the GCs are equipped with Flame Ionization Detector (FID) to analyze liquid product, which in our case are hydrocarbons. That means, GC 1 and 3 can analyze both gasses and liquid compound.
GC 2 and GC 3 (Both Agilent 6890 model) are arranged side by side in one of our research rooms.
On top of the above mentioned GC-TCD, there is also a unit of Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to power up our analysis capability. This GC-MS is very useful to identify and analyze liquid compound. GC-MS actually combines the features of gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify different substances within a test sample. In our research group we use it to analyze our pyrolysis, biomass, biodiesel liquid fuel and others. I'm not that familiar with GC-MS, but I plan to learn more about it in future. Now, for my ph.D, I'm more focused on using the GC-TCD.
The molecular sieve packed column and Porapak N column in GC 1
Oh yes, we also have one dedicated Perkin Elmer Gas Chromatograph Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID). This GC-FID is very old, I think it has been around for more than 13 years. It has been used previously to analyze our gas to liquid products. Presently, a master student is using it to analyze her biodiesel from waste vegetable oil research.
Of all the GC brands, we have model from HP and Perkin Elmer but not Shimadzu.
Gas Chromatography Thermal Conductive Detector (GC-TCD) Calibration
All our 3 GC-TCD are in great demand now. The research group population has suddenly increased and all of us need to use this imperative analytical equipment. Unfortunately, the GC-TCDs are not in really good condition. Hence, we've called Agilent engineer to come and help us check on the GCs and calibrate it for us.
Agilent engineer is replacing the mol sieve packed column in GC 1
Luckily we managed to order new mol sieve columns and the second GC-TCD calibration session were carried out last week. This time I was around and we work closely with the Agilent engineer. GC 1 has 5 columns inside it and it took some time to work on the valve switching between the valves. The valve switching is an important feature when there are many columns in a GC. This is because a column can only be suitable for certain chemical compound separation, while the others are suitable for other compounds. We calibrated GC 1 with Agilent natural gas standard and successfully managed to get all peaks in the chromatogram at the end of the day.
The engineer is thinking how to solve the mess in GC 3
The next day, the engineer continue worked with GC 2 and GC 3. However, he only managed to touch GC 3 after lunch. GC 3 has more chronic problem, it has one of its capillary column torn. He discovered this problem together with a ph.D student doing Plasma Reaction Research. However, the engineer has successfully connect the capillary column again.
HP capillary column is torn.
Conclusion of GC-TCD Calibration Session
To conclude the GC-TCD calibration session:
GC 1 - Successfully calibrated with Agilent natural gas standard. GC 2 - Successfully calibrated with Agilent refinery gas standard. GC 3 - Need to be further calibrated. Probably need 2 days to complete the job. I have contacted Agilent to come and rectify GC 3. We are still waiting the answer from them. I'll follow up with them again tomorrow.
I look forward to conduct my research as soon as possible... :) wish me luck.
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It has been a very long time since I published my last post. This has been mainly due to the tight schedule I'm experiencing now. Although I am officially a Ph.D student and granted a 3 years study leave, I still have some pending jobs that need to be settled. So, I can't really focus on my studies yet, but I am trying my very best to fully optimize the time that I have.
Doing Ph.D research without any research fund can be considered a nightmare. It has been bugging me since day 1. I have no money to do research. My supervisor also has very limited money and the money need to be well distributed among 10 post graduate students. So, just imagine how tough it is to do and establish our research. We have to try our best to fully optimize our research spending. Doing research is not cheap and requires money to purchase equipment.
Thank God, I received a very good news 3 weeks ago. My name was in the list of lecturer who received Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) from Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). To be honest, I have tried so hard and submitted 5 research grants before getting this one. All 5 research proposals submitted earlier were rejected and I must say that I felt a little bit disappointed. However, all of those bitter feeling was covered straight away after seeing my name on the list of successful researcher awarded grant from FRGS. My first reaction... I was very speechless and I just could not believe it... I just joined the faculty and within a year I have my own research grant. Hey...that's not bad at all. My career is kicking off quite well... Thank God again :) .
As a student (already 42 days as a Ph.D student), I have to hand over the responsibility as a research project leader to somebody else. This is mainly because, students are not allowed to be a project leader. Remember, I applied for this grant when I was still active as a lecturer. It was quite a headache wandering who to transfer the responsibility. I was hoping my supervisor to take charge of my research grant. However, she could not because she has numerous project under her charge. So, after a while, thanks to my colleague, nicknamed "EEM" (you know who you are) , he suggested another lecturer to replace me as the project leader. So, I approached the candidate and he agreed to be the project leader. I have just settled all arrangement and documentation to hand over the project to a new project leader.
Next upcoming post:
1. My article was just published in Yellow Pages Energy Guide, Malaysia. 2. Experience Sharing with first year chemical engineering students in UTM. 3. Elected as the FKKKSA - Post Graduate Society President!!! 4. What should I write for my first journal as a Ph.D student? ..................................................................................................................... Recommended: Free Technical / Engineering Magazine.
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Exactly one year ago, I joined Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) as a lecturer in the Faculty of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering after almost 6 years working as an engineer. Today, one year as a lecturer, I'm officially a chemical engineering Ph.D student. I'm now on my study leave for three years to do my post graduate study - full time research.
I'm thankful to God for providing me the chance to further my studies and I'm planning to complete my research as soon as possible. When I say as soon as possible, that simply means I plan to complete it under 3 years, if God will. I hope everything will be smooth.
I'm going to update the progress of my research from time to time in this blog as well in my personal facebook status. So, if you are interested to get updated with my progress, you can keep on following me in this blog and also via my facebook account.
If God will, I'll be doing an attachment for my Ph.D studies with Helsinki University in Finland. I'm allowed to do my research there for a maximum of 9 months within the space of 3 years. My co-supervisor will be from there, besides my main supervisor, Prof. Dr. Nor Aishah Saidina Amin in UTM.
You might be wandering what is my Ph.D topic? It's something to do with catalysis engineering and developing a process. I will reveal the topic if there are 17 people asking for it... :) ...
Anybody doing their post graduate studies now? or planning to continue their studies? Maybe you want to share something...
Individuals have a way to identify the type of plastic in many products, especially food storage containers and packaging [Check out the video below... interesting]. Many, but not all, such plastic products have a number – the resin identification code – molded, formed or imprinted in or on the container, often on the bottom. This system of coding was developed in 1988 by the U.S. - based Society of the Plastics Industry to facilitate the recycling of post-consumer plastics. It is voluntary for plastic manufacturers, but has become relatively standard on certain plastic products sold globally. Knowing the code for a particular product, consumers can then inform themselves of the characteristics of the plastic and the risks of using that product.
The seven plastic resin codes are each briefly described below to provide a quick snapshot detailing the name of the resin (i.e., the base material of the plastic), typical products it is found in, dangerous chemicals it leaches, and why they are dangerous.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) – Used in soft drink, juice, water, beer, mouthwash, peanut butter, salad dressing, detergent and cleaner containers. Leaches antimony trioxide and di(2ethylhexyl) pthalate (DEHP). Workers exposed to antimony trioxide for long periods of time have exhibited respiratory and skin irritation; among female workers, increased incidence of menstrual problems and miscarriage; their children exhibited slower development in the first twelve months of life. The longer a liquid is left in such a container the greater the concentration of antimony released into the liquid. DEHP is an endocrine disruptor that mimics the female hormone estrogen. It has been strongly linked to asthma and allergies in children. It may cause certain types of cancer, and it has been linked to negative effects on the liver, kidney, spleen, bone formation and body weight. In Europe, DEHP has been banned since 1999 from use in plastic toys for children under the age of three.
Check out the video below to learn how plastic bottles are made from Polyethylene terephthalate - interesting stuff!!!
High density polyethylene (HDPE) – Used in opaque milk, water, and juice containers, bleach, detergent and shampoo bottles, garbage bags, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners. Considered a 'safer' plastic. Our research on risks associated with this type of plastic is ongoing.
Polyvinyl chloride (V or Vinyl or PVC) – Used in toys, clear food and non-food packaging (e.g., cling wrap), some squeeze bottles, shampoo bottles, cooking oil and peanut butter jars, detergent and window cleaner bottles, shower curtains, medical tubing, and numerous construction products (e.g., pipes, siding). PVC has been described as one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created. Leaches di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) or butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP), depending on which is used as the plasticizer or softener (usually DEHP). DEHP and BBzP are endocrine disruptors mimicking the female hormone estrogen; have been strongly linked to asthma and allergic symptoms in children; may cause certain types of cancer; linked to negative effects on the liver, kidney, spleen, bone formation and body weight. In Europe, DEHP and BBzP and other dangerous pthalates have been banned from use in plastic toys for children under three since 1999. Not so elsewhere, including Canada and the United States.
Low density polyethylene (LDPE) – Used in grocery store, dry cleaning, bread and frozen food bags, most plastic wraps, squeezable bottles (honey, mustard). Considered a 'safer' plastic. Our research on risks associated with this type of plastic is ongoing.
Polypropylene (PP) – Used in ketchup bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, medecine and syrup bottles, straws, Rubbermaid and other opaque plastic containers, including baby bottles. Considered a 'safer' plastic. Our research on risks associated with this type of plastic is ongoing.
Polystyrene (PS) – Used in Styrofoam containers, egg cartons, disposable cups and bowls, take-out food containers, plastic cutlery, compact disc cases. Leaches styrene, which is an endocrine disruptor mimicking the female hormone estrogen, and thus has the potential to cause reproductive and developmental problems; long-term exposure by workers has shown brain and nervous system effects; adverse effects on red blood cells, liver, kidneys and stomach in animal studies. Also present in secondhand cigarette smoke, off-gassing of building materials, car exhaust and possibly drinking water. Styrene migrates significantly from polystyrene containers into the container's contents when oily foods are heated in such containers.
Other – This is a catch-all category that includes anything that does not come within the other six categories. As such, one must be careful in interpreting this category because it includes polycarbonate - a dangerous plastic - but it also includes the new, safer, biodegradable bio-based plastics made from renewable resources such as corn and potato starch, and sugar cane. Polycarbonate is used in many plastic baby bottles, clear plastic “sippy” cups, sports water bottles, three and five gallon large water storage containers, metal food can liners, some juice and ketchup containers, compact discs, cell phones, computers. Polycarbonate leaches Bisphenol A (some effects described above), and numerous studies have indicated a wide array of possible adverse effects from low-level exposure to Bisphenol A: chromosome damage in female ovaries, decreased sperm production in males, early onset of puberty, various behavioural changes, altered immune function, and sex reversal in frogs.
Important Note : Two other types of plastic that fall under code 7 are acrylonitrile styrene (AS) or styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Both AS/SAN and ABS are higher quality plastics with increased strength, rigidity, toughness and temperature and chemical resistance. AS/SAN is used in mixing bowls, thermos casing, dishes, cutlery, coffee filters, toothbrushes, outer covers (printers, calculators, lamps), battery housing. The incorporation of butadiene during the manufacture of AS/SAN, produces ABS, which is an even tougher plastic. ABS is used in LEGO toys, pipes, golf club heads, automotive parts, protective head gear. Our research on risks associated with AS/SAN and ABS is ongoing.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR EVERYDAY PLASTIC USE : You may wish to seriously consider your – and especially your children's – use of plastics numbered 1, 3, 6 and 7 (polycarbonate), all of which have been shown to leach dangerous chemicals. This does not necessarily mean the others are completely safe, just that they have been studied less to date.
So if you have to use plastic, it is safest to stick to numbers 2, 4, 5 and 7 (other than polycarbonate) whenever possible.
If an item does not have a plastic code on it, or if the type of plastic is unclear from the code (e.g., with #7, it likely will not say it is polycarbonate), your best bet is to contact the manufacturer and ask them directly what type of plastic was used to make the product.
Plastic Tips
Here are some simple tips to help you in working toward a life without plastic, or a life of safer, more informed plastic use.
o Avoid polycarbonate (#7) baby bottles and sippy cups. For baby bottles, try and use glass, polyethylene or polypropylene instead. Sippy cups made of stainless steel (e.g., Kleen Kanteen, Purica), or of polypropylene or polyethylene are safer. Be sure to check the bottle or cup to be sure of the type of plastic it contains. As for baby bottle nipples, try and use silicone which does not leach the carcinogenic nitrosamines that can be found in latex.
o If you must use polycarbonate (#7) bottles, avoid heating food and drink in the bottle. Heat it in a separate container and transfer it to the bottle once it is warm enough for the child to eat or drink. If the plastic is showing signs of wear – scratched, cloudy – discard the container.
o For drinking water, try and avoid plastic bottles. If you do use plastic bottles made from #1 or #2 plastic try not to reuse them as they are intended only for single use. One alternative is a stainless steel water bottle. For storing large quantities of water, glass and stainless steel containers are also available. If you use a #1 water bottle, try to consume the contents as soon as possible because leaching of antimony increases with time.
o Try to avoid heating foods in plastic containers, especially in the microwave oven, which can cause the plastic to degrade and leach chemicals faster. As well, leaching increases when plastic comes into contact with oily or fatty foods, or when the plastic is scratched, worn, cracked, or sticky.
o Use plastic wraps with caution, especially in the microwave, and try to keep the plastic from touching the food. Alternatives include wax paper or paper towels.
o Try and use alternatives to plastic packaging and storage containers. Cloth, paper or cardboard are possibilities for transporting groceries. Stainless steel and glass food storage containers are available.
o Avoid plastic dishes and utensils for meals. Alternatives include glass, ceramic, wood, stainless steel, and lacquer ware. Offer your child or grandchild a non-plastic dish set made of either stainless steel or wood (safely coated with a non-toxic lacquer).
These days, plastic is so omnipresent it can be difficult to imagine life without plastic. Yet, our ancestors managed just fine without it. All it takes is a little imagination, determination and discipline. p/s: This article is adopted from a colleague who shared this information in my work mailing list. I'm not sure where the information originates. However, I felt that the article is very informative and should be spread. I searched for some related photos to provide better comprehension and visualization to the reader. Hope you like it. I hope it is beneficial to everybody. ........................................................................................................................................................... Recommended: Free Technical / Engineering Magazine.
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