{"id":1297,"date":"2024-02-17T16:49:47","date_gmt":"2024-02-17T11:19:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/?p=1297"},"modified":"2024-04-03T07:17:56","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T01:47:56","slug":"q-bisphenol-a-bpa-a-cause-of-concern-is-a-structural-key-component-in-the-manufacture-of-which-of-the-following-kinds-of-plastics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/upsc\/q-bisphenol-a-bpa-a-cause-of-concern-is-a-structural-key-component-in-the-manufacture-of-which-of-the-following-kinds-of-plastics","title":{"rendered":"Q.\u00a0Bisphenol A (BPA), a cause of concern, is a structural\/key component in the manufacture of which of the following kinds of plastics?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"mcq wp-block-list\">\n<li>Low-density polyethylene<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Polycarbonate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Polyethylene terephthalate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Polyvinyl Chloride<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Answer: (b) Polycarbonate<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bisphenol-a-bpa\"><strong>Bisphenol A (BPA)<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bisphenol A is a synthetically obtained&nbsp;<strong>colourless,&nbsp;<\/strong>crystalline&nbsp;<strong>organic compound<\/strong>&nbsp;that occurs in the solid phase belonging to the&nbsp;<strong>diphenylmethane group.<\/strong>&nbsp;It is&nbsp;<strong>soluble in organic solvents<\/strong>&nbsp;but poorly dissolves in water<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Uses of Bisphenol A<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bisphenol A (BPA) is commonly&nbsp;<strong>used to coat the insides of food cans, bottle tops, and water supply lines<\/strong>, and was once a component of baby bottles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical produced in large quantities for use primarily in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins.<\/strong>&nbsp;Specifically, it is used for packaging foods and beverages, baby bottles, thermal papers (i.e., receipts), and dental sealants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>BPA polycarbonate plastics are very sturdy in nature and are used to make large variants of&nbsp;<strong>microwave-proof utensils.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is used as a material for&nbsp;<strong>safety glasses, bulletproof windows and helmets.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is used in many&nbsp;<strong>medical devices<\/strong>&nbsp;such as heart-lung machines, incubators, artificial kidneys, dental fillers, and sealants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is also used as&nbsp;<strong>eyewear glasses ,<\/strong>&nbsp;due to their optical clarity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental impacts of Bisphenol A:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>BPA can enter the environment directly through the<strong>&nbsp;leaching of chemicals or degradation of materials<\/strong>&nbsp;containing bisphenol A and may render the&nbsp;<strong>land<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>unfertile and barren<\/strong>&nbsp;making it unsuitable for&nbsp;<strong>agriculture.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It &nbsp;affects the&nbsp;<strong>growth and reproduction of<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>marine life.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It causes endocrine effects in&nbsp;<strong>fish, amphibians, and reptiles.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Adverse&nbsp;effects of Bisphenol A on human health:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When ingested, the chemical&nbsp;<strong>disrupts the endocrine system<\/strong>&nbsp;by interfering with the hormones and&nbsp;<strong>affecting the brain<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>prostate gland<\/strong>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<strong>foetuses, infants, and children<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It can cause&nbsp;<strong>high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease<\/strong>&nbsp;in adults.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>BPA is a xenoestrogen and&nbsp;<strong>mimics estrogen<\/strong>&nbsp;present in the body, thus exhibiting hormone-like properties.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It can indirectly aid in the&nbsp;<strong>spread of vector-borne diseases<\/strong>&nbsp;in humans and animals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"lowdensity-polyethylene\">Low-density polyethylene<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) is a&nbsp;<strong>flexible, odorless, transparent, 100% recyclable thermoplastic polymer popular in products like grocery\/garbage bags, juice containers, and cling wrap<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Its flexibility, toughness, and corrosion resistance combined with its low-cost, high-efficiency production process make it an appealing choice for engineering applications, fueling demand for the production of millions of tons of LDPE each year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Polyethylene<\/strong>&nbsp;is a thermoplastic polymer derived from petroleum composed of long chains of ethylene molecules known as monomers, which can be represented by the form&nbsp;<strong>(C2H4)n.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The most notable properties of LDPE are&nbsp;<strong>its toughness, its high flexibility at low temperatures, and its corrosion resistance.<\/strong>&nbsp;It has&nbsp;<strong>good strength&nbsp;<\/strong>relative to its density, which explains why it has widespread use in the production of small, lightweight carrying containers like plastic bags.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some of the&nbsp;<strong>key properties<\/strong>&nbsp;of low density polyethylene include:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>More branching in molecular structure<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Low temperature flexibility<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Toughness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Corrosion\/Chemical Resistance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Low density polyethylene has properties that are attractive for applications in&nbsp;<strong>food-safe bagging, waterproof packaging, and other packaging materials.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Types-of-Plastics-1024x934.png\" alt=\"Types of Plastic\" class=\"wp-image-47396\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What are the Different Types of Plastics | 7 Types of Plastic and Categories\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LPThrGVMARA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"polycarbonate\">Polycarbonate<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Polycarbonates (PC) are a&nbsp;<strong>group of thermoplastic polymers<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>containing carbonate groups<\/strong>&nbsp;in their chemical structures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Polycarbonate is&nbsp;<strong>a tough, transparent plastic material with outstanding strength, stiffness, and impact resistance<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Its&nbsp;<strong>high strength&nbsp;<\/strong>makes it resistant to impact and fracture. It is&nbsp;<strong>lightweight&nbsp;<\/strong>so an excellent alternative to glass. PC is melted and forced into a mold with high pressure to give it the&nbsp;<strong>desired shape<\/strong>. It is widely used owing to its eco-friendly processing and recyclability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Polycarbonate\u2019s&nbsp;<strong>optical clarity<\/strong>&nbsp;makes it ideal for applications such as&nbsp;<strong>machine guards, signs, architectural glazing, face shields, skylights, and POP displays.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Polycarbonates do not have a unique resin identification code (RIC) and are identified as \u201cOther\u201d, 7 on the RIC list.&nbsp;<strong>Products made from polycarbonate can contain the precursor monomer bisphenol A (BPA)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Used for:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Indoor and outdoor signs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Architectural glazing\u2014medical facilities, retail and government buildings, and transportation centers at risk from breakage and vandalism<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>POP displays and graphic holders<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Skylights<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Face shields<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Machine guards, sight glasses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Semiconductor machinery components<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Transparent manifolds<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"polyethylene-terephthalate\">Polyethylene terephthalate<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Polyethylene terephthalate<\/strong>&nbsp;(PET or PETE) is a&nbsp;<strong>condensation polymer of ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is a&nbsp;<strong>thermoplastic synthetic substance,<\/strong>&nbsp;malleable under heat, and can be placed into nearly&nbsp;<strong>any shape&nbsp;<\/strong>known mostly for its&nbsp;<strong>short PET form.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PET is a&nbsp;<strong>strong, stiff synthetic fibre and resin<\/strong>&nbsp;and a member of the polyester family of polymers. PET is spun into fibres for permanent-press fabrics and blow-molded into disposable beverage bottles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is very<strong>&nbsp;moisture tolerant.<\/strong>&nbsp;Polyethylene terephthalate has outstanding&nbsp;<strong>chemical resistance<\/strong>&nbsp;to organic matter and water,&nbsp;it is&nbsp;<strong>not biodegradable.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A<strong>&nbsp;list of uses of polyethylene terephthalate<\/strong>&nbsp;is given below.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For the&nbsp;<strong>manufacturing of shopping bags, water bottles, videotapes, containers and bags, clothes and housing material, water bottles, microwave containers, packaging films, etc.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Polyester fo<strong>r fabrics is strong and flexible<\/strong>, and when combined with materials like c<strong>otton can reduce wrinkling, and shrinking, and makes the fabric more resistant to tears.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Advantages of Polyethylene terephthalate<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is readily&nbsp;<strong>available and relatively inexpensive.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It&nbsp;has<strong>&nbsp;a high strength-to-weight ratio.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It&nbsp;is very&nbsp;<strong>resistant to moisture.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It has&nbsp;<strong>excellent chemical resistance<\/strong>&nbsp;to organic material and water (it is<strong>&nbsp;not biodegradable<\/strong>&nbsp;which is good and bad depending on your perspective and its intended use).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is&nbsp;virtually shatterproof&nbsp;(it won\u2019t break like glass packaging).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It&nbsp;is<strong>&nbsp;easily recycled.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It can be&nbsp;<strong>reused by conducting a series of washing processes or broken down<\/strong>&nbsp;into its constituent raw materials which can then be turned into the original resin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It&nbsp;is&nbsp;<strong>highly transparent.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PET consists&nbsp;<strong>only of<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen,<\/strong>&nbsp;so if it is burned in the air (or in pure oxygen), the combustion products will be&nbsp;<strong>carbon dioxide and water.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"polyvinyl-chloride\">Polyvinyl Chloride<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Polyvinyl chloride is the&nbsp;<strong>world\u2019s third-most widely produced synthetic polymer of plastic<\/strong>&nbsp;(after polyethylene and polypropylene).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Polyvinyl chloride or vinyl (PVC) is a&nbsp;<strong>polymer&nbsp;<\/strong>in which more than half of the content by weight consists of chlorine.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PVC is&nbsp;<strong>produced by polymerization of the vinyl chloride monomer.<\/strong>&nbsp;PVC comes in two basic forms: Rigid (sometimes abbreviated as RPVC) and flexible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Resin is the main component in the production of PVC.&nbsp;<strong>It is white, brittle solid material available in powder form or granules.&nbsp;<\/strong>PVC is now&nbsp;<strong>replacing traditional constructional materials&nbsp;<\/strong>like ceramics, metal, concrete, wood, rubber and many more. PVC is produced by the process of polymerization of the vinyl chloride monomer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>PVC is amorphous in nature, and hence it is easily combined with other chemicals\/substances<\/strong>. Depending on additives used in manufacturing with PVC, many qualities can be imbued in products including anti-mist, different colours, elasticity, fire retarding, flexibility, impact resistance and microbe prevention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Properties of PVC<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>By nature, PVC is a lightweight, sturdy and abrasion-resistant material.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This versatile thermoplastic polymer is resistant to the action of all inorganic chemicals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PVC is an excellent material for insulation due to its high dielectric strength and vapour barrier capacity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It can withstand extreme climatic conditions, shock and is free from corrosion. Hence, it is the preferred method for several outdoor applications.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Since the durability is more, long-life is assured.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PVC products are self-extinguishing due to high chlorine content.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PVC can be made more flexible and softer by adding plasticizers such as phthalate and can be bent as per requirement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PVC is an intrinsic flame retardant.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It offers good tensile strength and is rigid by nature.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is economical and is an affordable solution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It demands less maintenance and offers resistance to grease and oil.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Applications<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Plasticized PVC is used in flooring or (PVC-U) unplasticized PVC is used in making window frames.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is used in making sewage pipes and other pipe applications where cost or vulnerability to corrosion limit the use of metal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Used in construction fields for insulation on electrical wires or in flooring for hospitals, schools, homes, and other areas where a sterile environment is a priority.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is used in various industries like building,&nbsp;electronics, electrical, automotive, medical and packaging.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PVC fabric is used in the manufacture of aprons shower curtains, raincoats, jackets and sports bags.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is used in the garden hose and imitation leather upholstery.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Answer: (b) Polycarbonate Bisphenol A (BPA) Low-density polyethylene Polycarbonate Polyethylene terephthalate Polyvinyl Chloride<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3],"tags":[44],"years":[52],"class_list":["post-1297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-upsc","category-prelims","tag-science-and-tech","years-52"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":1,"label":"UPSC"},{"value":3,"label":"Prelims"}],"post_tag":[{"value":44,"label":"Science and Tech"}],"years":[{"value":52,"label":"2021"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"LotusArise","author_link":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/author\/team-lotusarise"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":1,"name":"UPSC","slug":"upsc","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1269,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":1,"category_count":1269,"category_description":"","cat_name":"UPSC","category_nicename":"upsc","category_parent":0},{"term_id":3,"name":"Prelims","slug":"prelims","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":1,"count":1251,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":3,"category_count":1251,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Prelims","category_nicename":"prelims","category_parent":1}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":44,"name":"Science and Tech","slug":"science-and-tech","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":44,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":167,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1297"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1594,"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1297\/revisions\/1594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1297"},{"taxonomy":"years","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotusarise.com\/qna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/years?post=1297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}