plastic

Also known as plastics

thumb|upright=1.35|Household items made of various types of plastics Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic materials composed primarily of polymers. Their defining characteristic, plasticity, allows them to be molded, extruded, or pressed into a diverse range of solid forms. This adaptability, combined with a wide range of other properties such as low weight, durability, flexibility, chemical resistance, low toxicity, and low-cost production, has led to their widespread use around the world. While most plastics are produced from natural gas and petroleum, a growing minority a

AI overview

Plastics are synthetic or semisynthetic materials made primarily of polymers that can be shaped into many different forms, making them useful for countless products. They are widely used globally because they are lightweight, durable, flexible, resistant to chemicals, and inexpensive to produce, though most are currently made from natural gas and petroleum.

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Research

716,126 papers

An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses Evaluating Associations between Human Health and Exposure to Major Classes of Plastic-Associated Chemicals.Annals of global health · 2024Symeonides C, Aromataris E, Mulders Y et al.DOI: 10.5334/aogh.4459
Implications of plastic-derived endocrine disruptors on human health.ReviewToxicology mechanisms and methods · 2025Ojo AB, Agbeye OD, Ogwa TO et al.DOI: 10.1080/15376516.2025.2510525
Plastic additives as a new threat to the global environment: Research status, remediation strategies and perspectives.ReviewEnvironmental research · 2024Zhang L, He Y, Jiang L et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.120007
Plastic additives in the ocean: Use of a comprehensive dataset for meta-analysis and method development.ReviewChemosphere · 2024Megill C, Shaw K, Knauer K et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142172
Plastic pollution from takeaway food industry in China.The Science of the total environment · 2023Zhang QQ, Lan MY, Li HR et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166933
Physiological and metabolic approach of plastic additive effects: Immune cells responses.ReviewJournal of hazardous materials · 2021Burgos-Aceves MA, Abo-Al-Ela HG, Faggio CDOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124114
Potential for microbial plastic degradation via assimilation of non-carbon moieties in additives.ReviewBiotechnology advances · 2025Wijaya D, Lalung J, Muhammad SA et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2025.108620
Chemicals of concern in plastic toys.Environment international · 2021Aurisano N, Huang L, Milà I Canals L et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106194

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Wikidata facts

Image: Plastic objects.jpg

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Commons category: Plastics

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~53 min read

Article

45 sections

Contents

Etymology
Structure
Classifications
Thermoplastics and thermosetting polymers
Commodity, engineering, and high-performance plastics
Commodity plastics
Engineering plastics
High-performance plastics
Amorphous and crystalline plastics
Conductive polymers
Biodegradable plastics and bioplastics
Biodegradable plastics
Bioplastics
Plastic industry
Production
Compounding
Converting
Gallery
Applications
Additives
Leaching
Recycling
Health effects
Poor countries
Animals
Types of additive
Health effects
Bisphenol A (BPA)
Environmental effects
Microplastics
Decomposition of plastics
Recycling
Pyrolysis
Greenhouse gas emissions
Reducing plastic production as a climate solution
Production of plastics
Incineration of plastics
Facilitation of natural degradation
History
Policy
See also
References
Sources
Further reading
External links

Between 1950 and 2017, 9.2 billion metric tons of plastic are estimated to have been made, with more than half of this amount being produced since 2004. In 2023 alone, preliminary figures indicate that over 400 million metric tons of plastic were produced worldwide. If global trends in plastic demand continue, it is projected that annual global plastic production will exceed 1.3 billion tons by 2060. The primary uses for plastic include packaging, which makes up about 40% of its usage, and building and construction, which makes up about 20% of its usage.