ASK A SCIENTIST

Do you ever wonder about various aspects of plastics and plastic pollution? Our science director, Trisha Vaidyanathan, PhD is here to shed some light on these questions in her monthly column, “Ask a Scientist.”

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Why & How Are Chemicals Used in Plastic?
Eve Fox Eve Fox

Why & How Are Chemicals Used in Plastic?

Plastics are made from a combination of fossil fuels (or another feedstock) and a mixture of more than 16,000 chemical additives. Learn more about what these chemicals are, why they’re added, and what their impacts are.

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