Polymers in Restrooms
The water, which needs to be piped in and piped out, is carried in polymers. PEX is the
crosslinked polyethylene tubing used to get the cold and hot water in, and
PVC pipe is what's used to carry it out. PVC stands for poly(vinyl chloride), and you guessed it, it's a
polymer. (Did the "poly" in front of the name give it away?)
The floats in the toilet are made from either a type of plastic or a type of rubber, both of which are polymers (duh!). We also have plastic or wooden toilet seats and covers, and again, both are polymers. The wood, of course, is made of natural polymers cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose.
And last but not least, the paper towels and toilet paper are made of paper,
which is made from treated wood to remove the lignin. Paper is an almost pure form of cellulose
, and cellulose is a natural
polymer.
Cellulose chains looks like this only a lot longer:
Many of these supplies can be found in the hardware store. But you don't have to worry about this because we have a 24 hour staff available that takes care of keeping this place in tip top shape. So if you run into anything that needs to be checked, feel free to contact one of our staff and let them know.
There are changing tables available for those parents who
are keeping up with one, or however many infants they may have. Of course,
we only have one table available per restroom so the kids will have to
take turns. These changing tables are made of a type of plastic. For your convenience we have also
placed a diaper dispenser in the restrooms. By the way, diapers are made
of several polymers including polyethylene and acrylate-based
superabsorbant polymers. Diapers are also
found in the pharmacy, or local grocery
store.Return to the Polyquarium