Healthcare
Petrochemistry makes a large contribution to the amazing progress achieved in the last century in general health care and hygiene.
Cumene and phenol, for example, are used as a starting material to make aspirin and penicillin, still one of the antibiotic agents most widely used to treat a wide variety of diseases, such as pneumonia, spinal meningitis, throat infections and diphtheria.
Some petrochemical resins are used in drug purification, the process by which only the therapeutic component is extracted from the initial plant or brew. This process helps to keep costs down and makes it easier to mass-produce drugs. It also makes it easier for scientists to experiment and create new drugs. These resins and technologies are used in antibiotics, as well as in the development of therapies treating conditions such as arthritis, AIDS, and various forms of cancer.
Seriously injured people can recover a considerable level of mobility thanks to the petrochemica-derived plastics and resins in artificial joints and limbs. Plastics are essential for making disposable syringes, containers for storing blood or vaccines, and other apparatus which are used only once to avoid the risk of contamination.
Tailor-made polymers are now being widely used in medical technology, for example in heart surgery, or for stimulators in eyes and ears. The crucial factor is plastics' bio-compatibility with the human body.
For more information, see Plastics contributing to a healthier, longer, more fulfilling life.
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