Bakelite: The Beginning of Plastic as We Know It

In 1924, Time Magazine called Bakelite a "material of a thousand uses" and correctly predicted it would one-day makeup nearly everything we touch, see, and use.

Bakelite is the very first synthetic plastic.  There was plastic before Bakelite but those were only partially synthetic.   Celluloid and Galalith are partially synthetic plastics, made primarily from plant cellulose and milk protein, respectively.  Bakelite is created from phenol and formaldehyde.  It was created in 1907 by a Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland.  

Bakelite was a revolution.  It was sought after for its resistance to heat and inability to conduct electricity.  Bakelite could be made with ease compared to other materials at the time.  Due to the ease and speed of the manufacturing process,  production costs dropped, and more people could afford things like telephones and radios in their homes.

By 1912, billiard balls were being made from Bakelite because it offered a look, feel, and sound that was comparable to ivory.  By WWI Bakelite was being used for electrical systems, propellers, and the Liberty motor.  It was used for the auto industry, for appliance castings, and buttons.  Coco Chanel started making Bakelite costume jewelry in the early 1920s that became extremely popular.  By the 1930s, game pieces like chess, poker chips, and dominoes were all made from Bakelite.  Bakelite made its way into the kitchen and was molded into all sorts of kitchenware.  During WWII it was used for everything from goggles to field phones.  It served as a metal substitute in firearms for magazines, grips, hand guards, and buttstocks.  In 1943 it was considered as a possible material for one cent coins due to a shortage in the traditional material, although the US Mint ultimately decided on zinc coated steel.  As the 1940s came to a close, Bakelite was beginning to be replaced with newer plastics that were cheaper and easier to produce.

Bakelite possessed many of the same problems that modern plastic does.  It does not biodegrade and there are health risks associated with Bakelite.  Bakelite is made from formaldehyde and often contains asbestos.  It, as is all other plastic, is considered a carcinogen and endocrine disruptor.