- The plastics industry is the third largest manufacturing industry in the United States
- The U.S. plastics industry employs more than nearly 900 thousand workers
- The U.S. plastics industry creates $374 billion in annual shipments
Can you imagine if everything you depend on in your life that is made of plastic suddenly disappeared? Your iPod, computer, medical device or even large parts of your car and home? Most likely, cherished items that you did not even realize were made of plastic would be gone. Plastics’ flexibility and adaptability enable them to be used in so many different ways that make our world better, safer and more fun.
Can you use plastics in the microwave? Do the number codes on plastic bottles tell you anything about how they should be used? Several myths about plastics have emerged over the last decade that may alarm the public without just cause. Get the facts about the safe use of plastic products directly from the experts in government, academia and manufacturing.
From medical devices and hospital supplies to bicycle helmets, airbags and the packaging that keeps food safe from bacteria, plastics are critical to keeping you and your family in good health. Did you know, for example, that more than 70 percent of disposable medical applications (such as blood bags, tubing, catheters, examination gloves and inhalation masks) are made of vinyl or polyurethane?