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August 17, 2021 08:30 AM

Kickstart: Milk jugs and internet misinformation

Rhoda Miel
Managing Editor
Plastics News Staff
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    Milk jugs and internet misinformation

    If we've learned one thing from the past 18 months it's this: People tend to believe things they read on social media. I've been guilty myself of seeing something cool and passing it on, only to find that it wasn't true. Luckily not for anything important.

    This falls into the "not important" category but it's certainly interesting from a plastics perspective.

    It seems that one current item making the rounds is about high density polyethylene milk jugs and why there's a circular indent in their shape. The claim goes that if the indent bulges out, that's a sign the milk has gone bad.

    "I get the general idea behind this," writes Dennis Lee on the website The Takeout. "It seems reasonable: Sometimes rotten stuff produces gas, and if you're lucky enough, you'll notice it and avoid that nasty old food. But experts say that bacteria can spoil milk without creating any gas whatsoever."

    And as USA Today reporter Bayliss Wagner goes on to note, the indents are all about maintaining consistent volume whether milk jugs are molded in hot or cold conditions, while also providing structural support, and not an indication of excess gas.

    "So, if this 'fun fact' about milk jugs crosses your path online, now you'll be able to help stop the spread of misinformation," Lee adds. "We've got way too much of that going on already."

     

    Polymer Points: There's going to be a lot to talk about

    There's a lot going on in the materials world. Increasing prices, shortages, possible taxes on virgin resins — and we're coming up on hurricane season along the Gulf Coast, which saw two storms disrupt production in 2020.

    Add in transportation issues ranging from a lack of shipping containers to not enough drivers, and everyone has had to make adjustments.

    Unfortunately, the old concept of what "normal" business conditions are may be gone forever.

    "We're not going back to the way things were before," Nexeo Plastics' Paul Tayler told Frank Esposito for the distribution report in this week's print issue of Plastics News. "The supply chain hasn't been refilled yet, and we're carrying a lower level of inventory than usual."

    Frank and Editor Don Loepp will talk about the state of the materials world in this month's Polymer Points Live, starting at 2 p.m. Eastern time today, Aug. 17, and available as subscriber-exclusive web content.

    Will Frank have all the answers? Probably not, but does anyone?

    A return to the virtual world?

    Don't shut down that Zoom app just yet.

    While some events have successfully taken place as "in-person" conferences and shows — such as the Chicago Auto Show and MD&M West — Plastics News staffers are also taking note of a return to only virtual shows as the delta variant of COVID-19 takes a more extensive grip around the world.

    On Aug. 16, the National Fenestration Rating Council announced that its fall membership meeting set for Oct. 25-27 has moved to an online-only event rather than taking place in Atlanta.

    "Following projections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of increases in COVID cases tied to the surge in the delta variant, NFRC has decided to avoid the risk and potential threats to members and staff by convening in person and instead hold the meeting online," the window industry group said.

    Is this an outlier or a sign of more event changes to come?

    As always, we'll have to stay tuned to find out.

     

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