Styrofoam Environmental Affects and it’s Elimination

The Styrofoam is an environment killer!!!!

The Styrofoam has been now to as it has done many detrimental things on our earth, there are still few aware about harmful nature of Styrofoam and its impact on our environment. Knowing about impact of Styrofoam will help the individuals to find different ways of minimizing the Styrofoam damages. Nowadays, Styrofoam has become a common use product and one would not stop using it once its negative impact are brought forward and told to every individual. The Styrofoam is a polystyrene made product, which is taken from petroleum based plastic and we can say that Styrofoam is used as trade name of polystyrene.

Styrofoam is highly used because of its insulation properties and being lightweight. It can easily keep the products hot or cold and helpful or shipment of the products without adding more weight. After its years of usage, now environmental agencies have found that Styrofoam has many hazardous and harmful effects on the environment. The environmental and health concerns of Styrofoam start with its use and manufacturing process. While manufacturing the polystyrene, the styrene is used as primary ingredient.

International Agency for Research on Cancer and EPA has found styrene as a human carcinogen- substance causing cancer. Many individuals who had been dealing in manufacturing process of styrene were studied and following health problems had been found during the research study;

• Gastrointestinal effects

• Irritation of Upper respiratory tract

• Irritation of eyes and skin

• Effect on nervous system and chronic exposure led to weakness, fatigue, headache, depression and affected the kidney functions.

The Styrofoam is resistant to photolysis and therefore it appears to last forever in landfills. The Styrofoam is unaffected through breaking down of material by protons and its lightweight and floats on the landfills over the passage of time. THE EPA researchers told that a great deal of polystyrene has been accumulated in waterway and coats and causing damage for the living beings. EPA studies also told that styrene has been found as main component of marine debris and death threat for marine life.

The recycling process of Styrofoam is also ending up because individuals in many regions have been told that such wastes will not be accepted by landfills and if they are recycled, they are used for manufacturing of packing filters and cafeteria trays. The National bureau of Standard Center for Fire Research has told that air pollution is also a major problem because of polystyrene along with its health risks associated.

During the manufacturing process of Styrofoam, more than 57 chemical by products are produced. These chemicals will not only pollute the air but also those solid and liquid wastes to which they will react.  Styrofoam also adds the bromine retardants which have been found harmful for health and environment.  Hydro fluorocarbons are also used in manufacturing process of Styrofoam which has negative impacts on ozone layer and cause global warming. Another reason that Styrofoam is harmful for the environment is its manufacturing through non-sustained petroleum sources.