Word: cornstarch
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Some firms argue that degradable, not recycled, plastics are a better solution to the waste problem. Archer Daniels Midland claims to have invented a kind of cornstarch additive that makes plastics totally disintegrate when exposed to soil, water or sunlight; currently, no more than 0.5% of all U.S. plastic products are degradable. But for the process to work, a certain amount of moisture must be present in the soil, and critics argue that landfills are not always moist enough for the plastic to break down. Even some trash that deteriorates can take years to do so. Says Jeanne Wirka...
...disintegrated under sunlight, unavailable at the bottom of landfills. Others came apart after contact with water, causing supermarket executives to shudder at the thought of what would happen to the groceries in a plastic shopping bag containing a leaky milk bottle. But now there is a method of adding cornstarch to some plastics. Bacteria eat the starch, causing the plastic to fall apart into pieces that can be ingested by microorganisms. Result: the plastic disintegrates in four to seven years...
...caller named stores in Houston and Orlando, where he said he placed capsules laced with cyanide or rat poison. Investigators initially found capsules spiked with sugar and cornstarch. The adulteration was easily detected. The man had crudely cut into the plastic blisters encasing the capsules. Said SmithKline's James Russo: "We're not talking about someone with exquisite skill for hiding what he is doing...