10 NEWS
May 2017
Innovation overrules conservation Justin Som
Drive a Prius because it’s eco-friendly. Compost food waste because it puts less pressure on the environment. Take public transportation to stop carbon emissions from obliterating the ozone layer. These methods of prevention are only temporary solutions to long-term problems. For the past two decades, few inventions have been made to repair environmental damages. “We need to act now to reverse what has been done to the environment,” said sophomore Michael Atkin. “As we speak, the environment is deteriorating. Take the melting of the polar ice caps, for instance. We need people to create more permanent solutions to resolve these issues while maintaining our previous efforts like composting and recycling.” On a broader scale, some nations have imposed limitations on their citizens to reduce their toll on Earth’s atmosphere. For example, in 1987, 197 parties, including the members of the United Nations and European Union, signed the Montreal Protocol. Under this agreement, the various nations decided to pledge support towards ceasing production of hazardous pollutants: chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). “Conservation efforts can definitely help the environment, but they won’t mean anything if only half of the population does it,” said Richard Wang, a junior. “I understand that these methods obviously won’t repair the damages done by humankind, but we just need to make sure that conditions don’t get worse until someone reaches a breakthrough. We need solutions that actually repair damages.” The polyurethane Oleo Sponge, created by the Argonne National Laboratory, is the first of several inventions made for the purpose described by Wang.
In March 2017, environmentalists led by Seth Darling invented the world’s first reusable oil sponge. According to Argonne, the applications of this technology would be best used in the ocean where it can soak up much of the oil that has been spilled by humankind. “The Oleo Sponge offers a set of possibilities that, as far as we know, are unprecedented,” said Darling. The sponge can soak up to “90 times its own weight in oil, and in addition, can return the oil to its user for reuse,” reported Argonne Laboratories. In the case of the Oleo Sponge, many environmentalists are optimistic about the implications of its effects. The sponge will permit conservationists to reuse the oil spilled in the world’s oceans while simultaneously reducing the oceans’ acidification by lowering oil concentration. This first step is only the beginning towards reversing environmental problems. As noted by Wang, these conservation methods are only delaying the results of large environmental crises. Sammy Zhang, a junior, believes that the lack of scientific innovation in past years is because many scientists don’t receive enough investments from companies to continue their research. According to Zhang, because many of these inventions take large amounts of energy and resources to create substantial results, researchers choose not to follow up on their findings. On the other hand, scientists may not be gaining enough publicity for their inventions as a result of being published in lower-level science journals. “When choosing whether or not to fund a project, many companies consider profit over product,” said Zhang. “It’s logical to do this. But morally, when large companies choose projects to fund, they should base their choices on how their end product can better the world instead of what they can get out of it. That is the only way we can help the future generation.”
ISABEL MITCHELL
Homemade slime brings many side effects Jordan Greene
Every day, social media influences people’s lives and actions. In the past few decades, an increased usage of new social media platforms has opened the doors for opportunities and trends. As a result, individuals daily are saying “yes” to choices that may have negative consequences. In February 2017, a new craze began circling the internet — slime. This homemade product began attracting the attention of children and teenagers worldwide. Dylan Reinhardt, a junior, has bonded with his sister through slime and has witnessed his sister’s fascination with the trend. “Since the slime craze began, my sister and I have made slime
a number of times. After seeing it pop up on my Instagram feed one day, I thought that it would be super fun to make. When I went to make it my first time, it didn’t go as well as I would have liked, but since then, I have been progressively getting better at making it,” said Rhinehardt. Slime’s main ingredients consist of glue, water, food dye, and borax. Slime has created a new outlet for play, but there have been many side effects reported from the creation of this product. According to CNN, many people have had negative experiences creating slime. From failure to follow the necessary precautions while creating this product, children have developed negative side effects, such as fevers and thirddegree burns. This all comes from
one thing — borax. Boric acid, sodium borate, and sodium perborate are estimated to have a fatal dose from 0.1 to 0.5g/kg. These substances are toxic to all cells, have a slow excretion rate, and negatively affect the kidneys. Boric acid solutions that touch the eyes or bare skin are especially toxic to infants. In an interview with NBC, Dr. Uluski, a medical Doctor at Yale-New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael, said, “If a child ingests slime made with Borax, it could be toxic and could even cause seizures.” Talia Herzberg, a junior at Summit Preparatory Charter High School, tried making slime in the past and experienced harmful side effects that have caused her to question social media trends.
“I’ve made slime a few times with my friends, and one time, I ended up getting sick. At first, I didn’t know what caused me to feel that way, but after researching about the products I used, I was able to see how harmful making slime could be,” said Herzberg. Although this issue has aroused concerns, unaware adolescents continue to follow social media accounts that promote the creation of harmful substances like slime. Society has put an emphasis on following trends in order to maintain social status and keep up-to-date. “Every time I see a cool new trend, I feel the need to try it. I haven’t gotten sick from making slime and the possibility of it shouldn’t affect whether or not I
have fun and try new things,” said Rhinehardt. Societal expectations make individuals feel pressured to follow trends in order to present themselves as informed about society. However, despite feeling the need to allow these trends to enhance popularity, other individuals have become aware of the negative consequences that may arise from blindly following online platforms. “Over the past few months, I’ve become more aware of what I see online. Instead of just blindly following the trends, I have become more familiar with what I see and what I am doing. I have also learned to accept that following something online shouldn’t define who I am or my popularity,” said Herzberg.