Marketers calling plastic 'polymer' are using empty euphemisms—every plastic is a polymer, though not every polymer is a plastic. Plastics vary widely in character, much like human personalities. Polyethylene and polypropylene resemble Snow White: simple, pure, weak, and cheap, composed of just hydrogen and carbon. Made from ethylene polymerized in cubic-mile quantities annually, they're chemically unreactive and ideal for containers and beakers, but UV sunlight causes cracking. Nylon, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, is strong—used for plastic nuts, bolts, fishing line, and hosiery.
Reinforced with 30% glass fiber, it rivals cast aluminum strength and is common in gun frames and power tool housings. Polycarbonate, akin to Achilles, is bulletproof yet chemically vulnerable—acetone instantly crazes its surface. Used in bulletproof windows and car headlights, it releases bisphenol A (BPA) and is unnecessarily expensive for food containers. PVC, the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of plastics, ranges from rigid pipes and siding to flexible inflatables and sex toys when plasticized. Pure PVC requires toxic lead stabilizers and releases harmful chlorine compounds when burned; its plasticizers evaporate over time, causing brittleness and windshield haze.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing