Ampoule Containing Standard Sea-Water, 1975

Ampoule of Standard Seawater, prepared by the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, Deacon Laboratories, Surrey, England, 1975.

Two hundred years ago, as media technologies were growing in popularity, new mass production techniques were also being developed. Using the vast networks of the British Empire, huge quantities of material were delivered to factories from all over the world, ready to be turned into all kinds of technology. Bromine is an element removed from salts in seawater, like this sample. When added to plastics it can make them fire resistant and much safer to use.