Why Are Styrofoam Boxes an Environmental Pollutant?

Polystyrene foam, often called by the brand name Styrofoam, has a wide range of uses from home insulation to fast food containers. Unfortunately, it has also been associated with health risks for workers, polluting the air and remaining in landfills indefinitely .

Production

• Polystyrene boxes are actually about 95 percent air, but the rest is produced from petroleum. As a non-renewable resource, this means trash is being created from materials that are naturally in the Earth. The factory production itself causes environmental pollution in the form of toxic fumes as well as respiratory and nervous system problems for the workers, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Effects

• For consumers using polystyrene boxes and cups, the health effects are mostly indirect. Under heat from microwave ovens and other sources, polystyrene containers can leak chemicals into food and beverages that can irritate the body internally. Otherwise, the environment at large faces the potentially negative consequences: a single cup made of polystyrene foam takes more than 500 years to disintegrate.

Alternatives

• The Dow Chemical Company, makers of Styrofoam, and producers of other polystyrene products have taken steps to reduce their products' environmental impact by capping the emission of chlorofluorocarbons, one of the toxic fumes produced in the factories. Other organizations also press for the use of recycled paper products when possible and other renewable resources.