Plastics have made their way into every aspect of everyday life.
Before the 1950s, they were not nearly as ubiquitous as they are today.
At first it was commercial products where you saw early applications of widespread plastic use. You might find them in factory machines or as proprietary components for a wide variety of industrial works. But once plastics were molded to create things like tupperware products and dining room utensils, the applications grew exponentially overnight. Nowadays plastic can be found everywhere you look, from nice dining rooms to open water in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. They are a ubiquitous aspect of current life for better or for worse. I was surprised to learn that air ducts are being built out of plastic now. It is constructed in varying layers with metal wire used to give it shape. Imagine a slinky or a malleable metal spring and then pull on it to stretch it. Before letting the slinky or spring collapse back into its original shape, cover it with a thin plastic membrane that stays affixed as the wire compresses back into its previous shape. That is a rough explanation for how plastic air ductwork looks in addition to how it is formed, although there’s a small layer of insulation covering the plastic and then a layer of metal foil covering the insulation. It’s amazingly simple to install compared to metal air ducts that have to be measured, cut and welded piece by piece. You could install air ducts for a big house in a fraction of the time compared to metal. One issue, which you’ll be aware of if you’ve ever used a plastic bowl with spaghetti sauce, is plastic’s propensity to absorb smells in addition to stains. Plastic air ducts are no different, and sometimes it’s tough to get smells out after they’ve had the chance to leach into the plastic membrane inside.