Why we should stop using polystyrene foam
food and beverage containers
Health effects


A carcinogen called styrene leaches into food and beverages contained in polystyrene foam
(1,2).
Polystyrene foam production endangers the health of workers in polystyrene foam
manufacturing plants (3). Occupational exposure to styrene causes brain and learning
problems and damage to the liver, central nervous system and eyes (4).
Environmental effects





Polystyrene foam is made from petroleum, a non-sustainable and heavily polluting
resource.
Polystyrene foam is one of the most pervasive sources of litter in the Earth’s oceans, second
only to cigarette butts (5).
Polystyrene foam crumbles into fragments, and it is lightweight and floats. This means it
easily gets blown by wind and deposited into rivers, lakes and oceans, even when disposed
of properly.
Animals notoriously mistake Polystyrene foam fragments for food, causing them digestive
problems and death (5).
Polystyrene foam does not biodegrade. It sits in landfills for several hundreds years, taking
up space with its bulk and leaching styrene into the ground water (6).
Practical matters






Polystyrene foam cannot be recycled without significant difficulty and cost, and Durham’s
recycling program does not accept Polystyrene foam.
More than 100 cities and counties in the U.S. have banned polystyrene foam food
containers, from New Jersey to California, New York to Oregon, as early as 1989 (7). The city
of Palo Alto, CA is an example whose city manager’s office said they are happy to help us in
Durham by sharing their process and experiences.
Polystyrene foam potentially hurts our local economy with costs of litter cleanup, waste
management, and the toll on our tourist industry from degradation of the local
environment and wildlife.
Durham restaurants can be engaged as stakeholders and partners in this effort. Many are
ready to change their practices or are already using recyclable and biodegradable
alternatives to Polystyrene foam.
Brame and other local suppliers of food service products carry biodegradable and recyclable
alternatives to polystyrene foam. A cooperative or other arrangement may help make them
more affordable to local restaurants.
A polystyrene foam ban is an opportunity to educate the public and is a great example of
public-private entities partnering up for the environment. Durham could be a model for this
in the state of North Carolina!
References
1. Report on Carcinogens (12th edition). National Toxicology Program, Department of Health
and Human Services, June 2011 http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/twelfth/profiles/Styrene.pdf
2. ToxFAQs for Styrene. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Sept 2010
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=420&tid=74
3. Styrene. United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration
(OSHA), February 2012 http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/styrene/index.html
4. Toxicological Profile for Styrene. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), November 2010
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp53.pdf
5. Tracking Trash: 25 Years of Action for the Ocean. The Ocean Conservancy, 2011.
http://act.oceanconservancy.org/pdf/Marine_Debris_2011_Report_OC.pdf
6. Basic Information about Styrene in Drinking Water. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
website, last accessed April 3, 2012
http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/styrene.cfm
7. Find a Polystyrene foam Ban (or Bans) in Your City or State. Viv Biz Club, February 2010.
http://vivbizclub.com/blog/2010/02/18/polystyrene foam-ban
Prepared by:
Crystal Dreisbach, MPH
Durham, NC
crystaldreisbach@gmail.com
April 2012