“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. 1 Cor 10:23
Styrofoam or Polystyrene is cheap, and light and has become a very popular item for serving food and takeaways. Many churches use it for large functions. What is wrong with it?
- It is a known hazardous substance
Styrofoam is made of puffed #6 plastic: “polystyrene” (PS), made ‘of many styrenes’. Styrene is classified a known hazardous substance and has many ties to cancer. Styrofoam is also made up of other hazardous chemicals, such as benzene.
- It leaches(Seeps) into food and drink
It is especially dangerous to heat a Styrofoam container in the microwave. When paired with liquid and heat , a Styrofoam container’s toxins (like benzene and styrene) seep into the contents. But even with cold or dry food, contact with Styrofoam is unhealthy. A huge portion of our food contains styrene contamination.
- its in the air and on your skin.
The most common route of exposure to these harmful chemicals is simply inhalation. You also get exposure each time you touch it, since the chemicals can seep into your body through your skin.
- its toxic just to make it.
Its industry ranks the largest creators of toxic wastes . That includes liquid and solid wastes. Gross. Imagine the impact on the workers!
- it ends up at litter everywhere
Because Styrofoam is so light and crumbles easily, it’s almost too easy for it to end up out in our woods, rivers, and prairies. Once it’s there, it’s there to stay. Styrofoam will break down into microscopic styrenes and other harmful chemicals, and they will linger in the soil and water for centuries to come. It’s an especially serious problem in our world’s oceans.
- it still depletes the ozone layer
You may remember the ruckus around banning CFCs in the 90’s? Well, Styrofoam now utilizes its chemical cousins instead – which still do harm to the ozone layer. Styrene has a way of evaporating its fumes into the air, which is bad for our lungs as well as the ozone layer that protects us from the sun’s cancer-causing rays.
- Even in landfill it is not safe
According to the Environmental protection agency, as styrene leaches from landfills into our drinking water, it causes liver, kidney, or circulatory system problems. People living in poverty are more likely to live near landfills and factories, and are disproportionately affected.
#banfoam #stopplasticpollution #greenanglicans #lessplasticforlent
Reference
https://greendiningalliance.org/2015/10/8-reasons-to-ban-styro-foam/