Why are cities around the USA and world banning Styrofoam? In short: it’s very toxic. Honestly, it’s downright creepy.
Take a look at this fact sheet to see how and why Styrofoam hurts people and our planet.
Sources for all the materials below include the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Center for Disease Control’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC, and ATSDR), and Harvard University. See hyperlinks for direct references.
1. It is a ‘known hazardous substance.’
Like all plastics, Styrofoam is a petrochemical; it comes from petroleum, which is known to cause developmental, hematological, renal, and immunological disorders.
- 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 (it’s hard to conclusively tie a distinct chemical to cancer, since cancer is still very difficult to understand and testing is done on non-human animals). Styrofoam is also made up of other hazardous chemicals, such as benzene.
- The scope of ramifications of these toxins on the human body are still unclear. However, effects on non-human animals are unanimously harmful, and people who live and work in environments with high concentrations of styrene have higher instances of cancer, neurological issues, headaches, depression, fatigue, and more.
2. It leaches into food and drink.
Especially 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.
3. It’s 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.
4. It’s toxic just to make it.
Its industry ranks the 5th largest creator of toxic wastes in the USA. That includes liquid and solid wastes. Gross.
5. It’s a ‘principle litter’ – meaning it’s 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.
6. 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.
7. Just like with oil, there are spills.
Styrene- and benzene-related illnesses occur in much higher concentrations at spill sites. What’s worse, the full effects of exposure to spillage are still unknown.
8. Even in the landfill, it’s not safe.
According to the EPA, as styrene leaches from landfills into our drinking water, it causes liver, kidney, or circulatory system problems. Minorities and people living in poverty are more
likely to live near landfills and factories, and are disproportionately affected.
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Citizens came together in CA to “Ban the Foam” from their communities.
These are the reasons people around the world have been rising up against this toxic foam product for decades. The USA’s cities of New York City, Seattle, San Francisco (and many other Californian cities), Portland, and even the capitol city of Washington D.C. have banned it. Paris, Toronto, and Muntinlupa have banned it, and the entirety of Taiwan has a proposed ban that will go into effect in 2016. See a full list here.
Let’s make St. Louis the next city to shut down Styrofoam for good!
