Green Tips: What's Wrong with Styrofoam
A lot! Styrofoam, the trademark name of the Dow Chemical Company for polystyrene foam, used for disposable cups and plates, food packaging, mailing material, appliance packaging and much more, is manufactured from petroleum as well as other chemicals.
A polystyrene (styrofoam) food container.
U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Svcs.
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A lot!
Styrofoam, the trademark name of the Dow Chemical Company for polystyrene foam, and used for disposable cups and plates, food packaging, mailing material, appliance packaging and much more, is manufactured from petroleum as well as other chemicals, one of which, benzene, is a known carcinogen.
Because polystyrene is so prevalent, many of us assume it is safe, but according to a Foundation for Achievements in Science and Education fact sheet, long-term exposure to even small amounts of styrene can cause fatigue, nervousness, difficulty sleeping, low platelet and hemoglobin values, chromosomal and lymphatic abnormalities, and carcinogenic effects. It has not been proven to cause cancer in humans, although there is evidence it causes cancer in animals.
Polystyrene can release potentially toxic breakdown products, especially when heated. It’s never a good idea to put any type plastic, in the microwave – use glass instead.
Styrofoam also takes a long time to break down in the environment and is not easily recycled either. (Styrofoam is classified as a #6 plastic, which many recycling centers don’t take.) Styrofoam is said to take up 25 percent of space in the landfills where it can leach into the soil and groundwater. Furthermore, it can be lethal to any animal that might ingest it and can block their digestive tracts, ultimately causing starvation.
Try not to buy products packaged in Styrofoam, particularly food items. Food and petroleum really don’t go together! It is inevitable you’ll have some, so reuse your Styrofoam for packing materials or crafts (donate them to schools for art projects).
I am now seeing eco-safe alternatives for Styrofoam cups and plates in some restaurants and hotels made from biodegradable cornstarch or from useless agricultural by-products and mushroom roots.
The next time you buy a coffee to go and it comes in a Styrofoam cup, ask if you can have a different cup. Even if they don’t have one, you’ll be planting a seed and eventually change will happen.
To find Styrofoam recycling areas near you, visit Earth911.com and enter your zip code.
Information compiled from Wikipedia.com, Ejnet.org, Greenlivingtips.com, earth911.com, www.gizmag.com - article by Tamith Cattermole, thedailygreen.com
For more green tips, visit greenwithbetsy.com.
BAV
8:18 pm on Saturday, September 24, 2011
Polystyrene is a problem because it take a LONG time to break down. We as a society should move away from it for this reason. Period.
However, some of your arguments regarding polystyrene are questionable. In paragraph 1 you cite benzene as a carcinogen. However, there is little or no benzene in polystyrene, so its presence in a precursor ingredient is irrelevant. In paragraph 2 you cite styrene as a toxin. However, there is little or no styrene in polystyrene, so its presence as a precursor ingredient is irrelevant. Finally, any plastic tested for microwave use is safe for microwave use, plastic or otherwise. Additionally, most plastics are also safe even if not tested for microwave use, though in this respect, you are free to be safer than sorry. If you are heating food which has water in it, the maximum temperature achieved in the microwave oven is 212F. The decomposition temperature of most plastics is much higher than this.
David Paul
6:51 pm on Sunday, September 25, 2011
You better do your research more carefully before you write your articles. You were right about Styrofoam being the registered trademark of The Dow Chemical Company, however Styrofoam is an extruded polystyrene foam, made as insulation boards, floatation billets and for crafts. What you were writing about is molded polystyrene foam. The insulation is often called blue board, the flotation billets are orange and the craft balls, etc. are sparkling white.
I spent 25 years in marketing of Styrofoam and am very proud af a great product an it's name. I would urge you to write another article lauding the properties of Styrofoam and explaining that it is not coffee cups.
David Paul
DPAUL57764@aol.com
303-773-9658
3931 S. Spruce St.
Denver CO 80237
Betsy Steiner
4:09 pm on Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Your reference on polystyrene foam landfill space - at a whopping 25% - is also incorrect. Try less than 1% of all municipal solid waste as published by the US EPA, and that's for all foam polystyrene including foodservice and product packaging. Because its popular to mislabel polystyrene as an environmental bad actor, you've highlighted a few random information tidbits, many incorrect, and ultimately done a disservice to your readers. Our society needs help learning how to approach environmental decisions with critical thinking not pat answers based on myths, not fact.
Betsy Steiner
AFPR
emsteiner@epscentral.org
www.epspackaging.org
MB
6:07 pm on Wednesday, October 5, 2011
This is a very poorly researched article that is filled with incorrect statements. Polystyrene contains very little, if any benzene. Secondly as the others have pointed out, Styrofoam is a brand name for a product that is used as insulation, not foam cups or plates. Please do more research before spreading urban myths.