Izitya zetafile zeMelamine zikuvumela ukuba uhlale kwidekhi yakho ungakhathazeki ngokonakalisa itshayina yakho entle. Fumanisa ukuba ezi zitya ziluncedo zaba njani zibalulekile ekutyeni kwemihla ngemihla ngeminyaka yoo-1950 nangaphaya koko.
ULeanne Potts yintatheli ephumelele amabhaso ebisoloko ibhala ngoyilo kunye nezindlu kangangeminyaka engamashumi amathathu. Uyingcali kuyo yonke into ukusuka ekukhetheni imibala yegumbi ukuya ekukhuliseni iitumato ezidumileyo ukuya kwimvelaphi yoyilo lwangaphakathi lwanamhlanje. Umsebenzi wakhe uvele kwi-HGTV, Parade, BHG, Travel Channel kunye noBob Vila.
UMarcus Reeves ngumbhali onamava, umshicileli, kunye nomhloli weenyaniso. Uqale ukubhala iingxelo zemagazini iThe Source. Umsebenzi wakhe uvele kwiThe New York Times, Playboy, The Washington Post kunye neRolling Stone, phakathi kwezinye iincwadi. Incwadi yakhe, ethi Someone Screamed: The Rise of Rap in the Black Power Aftershock, yonyulwe kwiMbasa yeZora Neale Hurston. Ulilungu le-faculty encedisayo kwiYunivesithi yaseNew York, apho afundisa khona ukubhala nokunxibelelana. UMarcus wafumana isidanga sakhe se-bachelor kwiYunivesithi yaseRutgers eNew Brunswick, eNew Jersey.
KwiMelika emva kwemfazwe, indawo eqhelekileyo yabantu abakumgangatho ophakathi yayiphawulwa zizidlo zasepatio, abantwana abaninzi, kunye neendibano zokuzonwabisa apho ubungenakuphupha ngokuya kwisidlo sangokuhlwa esine-china entle kunye namalaphu etafile anzima e-damask. Endaweni yoko, izixhobo zokusika ezazithandwa kakhulu ngelo xesha yayizizixhobo zokusika zeplastiki, ingakumbi ezo zenziwe nge-melamine.
“I-Melamine ngokuqinisekileyo inceda kule ndlela yokuphila yemihla ngemihla,” utshilo uGqr. Anna Ruth Gatling, uprofesa oncedisayo woyilo lwangaphakathi kwiYunivesithi yaseAuburn ofundisa ikhosi ngembali yoyilo lwangaphakathi.
IMelamine yi-resin yeplastiki eyaveliswa yingcali yemichiza yaseJamani uJustus von Liebig ngeminyaka yoo-1830. Nangona kunjalo, ekubeni le nto yayibiza kakhulu ukuyenza kwaye u-von Liebig engazange agqibe ukuba enze ntoni ngemveliso yakhe, yahlala ingasebenzi kangangenkulungwane. Ngeminyaka yoo-1930, inkqubela phambili kwezobuchwepheshe yenza i-melamine yabiza kakhulu ukuvelisa, ngoko abayili baqala ukucinga ngento abanokuyenza ngayo, ekugqibeleni bafumanisa ukuba olu hlobo lweplastiki ye-thermoset lunokufudunyezwa kwaye lubunjwe lube zizinto zokutya ezifikelelekayo, eziveliswa ngobuninzi.
Kwiminyaka yayo yokuqala, i-American Cyanamid ese-New Jersey yayingomnye wabavelisi nabasasazi abaphambili be-melamine powder kwishishini leplastiki. Babhalise iplastiki yabo ye-melamine phantsi kwegama elithi “Melmac”. Nangona le nto ikwasetyenziselwa ukwenza iiwotshi, iziphatho zesitovu kunye neziphatho zefenitshala, isetyenziselwa kakhulu ukwenza izitya zetafile.
Izitya zetafile zeMelamine zazisetyenziswa kakhulu ngexesha leMfazwe Yehlabathi yesiBini kwaye zenziwa ngobuninzi kwimikhosi, izikolo, kunye nezibhedlele. Ngenxa yokuba izinyithi nezinye izinto zazinqongophele, iiplastiki ezintsha zithathwa njengezinto zexesha elizayo. Ngokungafaniyo nezinye iiplastiki zakuqala ezifana neBakelite, imelamine izinzile ngokweekhemikhali kwaye ihlala ixesha elide ngokwaneleyo ukuba imelane nokuhlanjwa rhoqo kunye nobushushu.
Emva kwemfazwe, izitya ze-melamine zangena kumawaka ezindlu ngobuninzi. “Ngeminyaka yoo-1940 kwakukho izityalo ezintathu ezinkulu ze-melamine, kodwa ngeminyaka yoo-1950 kwakukho amakhulu,” utshilo uGatlin. Ezinye zezona mveliso zidumileyo zezitya zokupheka ze-melamine ziquka iBranchell, iTexas Ware, iLenox Ware, iProlon, iMar-crest, iBoontonware, kunye neRaffia Ware.
Njengoko izigidi zabantu baseMelika zazifudukela kwiindawo ezikufutshane emva kokukhula koqoqosho emva kwemfazwe, bathenga iiseti zesidlo sangokuhlwa se-melamine ukuze zihambelane namakhaya abo amatsha kunye nendlela abaphila ngayo. Indawo yokuhlala kwipatio iye yaba yingcamango entsha ethandwayo, kwaye iintsapho zifuna izixhobo zeplastiki ezingabizi kakhulu ezinokuthathwa ngaphandle. Ngexesha lokukhula kokukhula komntwana, i-melamine yayiyeyona nto ifanelekileyo ngelo xesha. “Izitya aziqhelekanga kwaye akufuneki ulumke,” utshilo uGatlin. “Ungazilahla!”
Intengiso ukususela ngelo xesha yayidumisa izitya zokupheka zaseMelmac njengeplastiki yomlingo “yokuphila ubomi obungenaxhala kwisithethe sakudala.” Enye intengiso yomgca weBranchell's Color-Flyte ukususela kwiminyaka yoo-1950 yathi izitya zokupheka “zaziqinisekisiwe ukuba aziqhekeki, aziqhekeki okanye ziqhekeke.” Imibala ethandwayo ibandakanya ipinki, ibhlowu, i-turquoise, i-mint, umthubi nomhlophe, kunye neemilo zejiyometri eziqaqambileyo kwisitayile seentyatyambo okanye seathom.
“Impumelelo yeminyaka yoo-1950 yayingafani nakweminye iminyaka elishumi,” utshilo uGatlin. Ithemba lelo xesha libonakala kwimibala eqaqambileyo kunye neemilo zezi zitya, utshilo. “Izitya zetafile zeMelamine zinemilo yejometri yenkulungwane yeshumi elinesibini, njengezitya ezibhityileyo kunye neziphatho ezincinci zekomityi, ezenza ukuba zibe zezahlukileyo,” utshilo uGatlin. Abathengi bayakhuthazwa ukuba badibanise kwaye badibanise imibala ukuze bongeze ubuchule kunye nesitayile kwimihombiso.
Eyona nto ingcono kukuba iMelmac ifikeleleka kakhulu: iseti yabantu abane ixabisa malunga ne-$15 ngeminyaka yoo-1950 kwaye ngoku ixabisa malunga ne-$175. “Azinaxabiso,” utshilo uGatlin. “Ungazamkela iimfashini kwaye ubonise ubuntu bakho kuba unokukhetha ukuzitshintsha emva kweminyaka embalwa kwaye ufumane imibala emitsha.”
Uyilo lwezitya ze-melamine nalo luyamangalisa. I-American Cyanamid yaqesha umyili wemizi-mveliso uRussell Wright, owazisa ubunamhlanje etafileni yaseMelika ngomgca wakhe wezinto ze-American Modern ezivela kwiSteubenville Pottery Company, ukuze asebenze ngomlingo wakhe ngezitya zeplastiki. UWright wayila umgca wezinto ze-Melmac kwiNorthern Plastics Company, eyaphumelela ibhaso leMyuziyam yoBugcisa banamhlanje ngoyilo oluhle ngo-1953. Ingqokelela ebizwa ngokuba yi-“Home” yayiyenye yeengqokelela ezazithandwa kakhulu yiMelmac ngeminyaka yoo-1950.
Kwiminyaka yoo-1970, izitya zokuhlamba izitya kunye nee-microwave zaba zizinto ezisetyenziswa kakhulu kwiikhitshi zaseMelika, kwaye izitya zokupheka ze-melamine zaphelelwa ngumsebenzi. Iplastiki emangalisayo yeminyaka yoo-1950 yayingakhuselekanga ukusetyenziswa kuzo zombini izitya zokupheka kwaye ithatyathelwe indawo yiCorelle njengokhetho olungcono kwizitya zokupheka zemihla ngemihla.
Nangona kunjalo, ekuqaleni kweminyaka yoo-2000, i-melamine yaphinda yavuselelwa kunye nefenitshala yanamhlanje yenkulungwane yeshumi elinambini. Uthotho lokuqala lweminyaka yoo-1950 lwaba zizinto zokuqokelela kwaye kwadalwa uluhlu olutsha lwezitya ze-melamine.
Utshintsho lobuchwephesha kwifomyula yemelamine kunye nenkqubo yokuvelisa luyenza ikhuseleke kumatshini wokuhlamba izitya kwaye luyinike ubomi obutsha. Kwangaxeshanye, umdla okhulayo wokulondoloza uzinzo wenze imelamine ibe yindlela ethandwayo endaweni yeepleyiti ezilahlwayo eziphelela kwindawo yokulahla inkunkuma emva kokusetyenziswa kanye.
Nangona kunjalo, ngokutsho kwe-US Food and Drug Administration, i-melamine ayikakulungeli ukufudumeza nge-microwave, nto leyo ethintela ukuphinda ivuselelwe, endala nentsha.
“Kule mihla yokulula, ngokuchaseneyo nenkcazelo yeminyaka yoo-1950 yokuba lula, loo milamine dinnerware endala ayinakusetyenziswa yonke imihla,” utshilo uGatlin. Phatha izitya zesidlo ezihlala ixesha elide zeminyaka yoo-1950 ngononophelo olufanayo noluya kuphatha izinto zakudala. Kwinkulungwane yama-21, iipleyiti zeplastiki zinokuba zizinto eziqokelelweyo ezixabisekileyo, kwaye imelamine yakudala ingaba yitshayina entle.