Polymers in Restrooms
I know what you're thinking, what is this all about?! Well let me
say that there are many polymers found in restrooms and they deserve a
place among everything else we've talked about, whether they come from the sea or not.
So, ready or not, here we go.
![pvc pipes](images/pipe.jpg)
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.
You weren't thinking about these types of things in a bathroom, now were
you?
Cellulose chains looks like this only a lot longer:
![cellulose](images/cell05.gif)
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.
![changing table](images/baby.gif)
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