Should we really use Styrofoam cups?
If you are living in India then there are high chances that
you would have had tea, coffee or any other hot beverage in Styrofoam cups. But
the question is, is it really safe to serve hot edible things in them?
The answer is not a simple yes or no. Since there are many
factors to be considered, here I have written some information which may help
you know a little more about it.
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| (Image credits: Tyler Lacoma) |
Styrofoam is the trademark name of EPS (expanded polystyrene)
developed by DOW Chemical Company and if we are using that exact material it is
reasonably safe to have beverages up to 85 °C in it.
One can easily identify this material by identifying this symbol
on it-
The problem is, that the cups we get in India are mostly
manufactured by small scale industries which often lack proper quality control
and enforcement of the most food packaging laws is questionable at this scale. If
you purchase cups or plates made of Styrofoam, you would probably not find any specifications
like the name of the material or the temperature up to which it can be used.
These very cups are used to serve us tea, coffee and
sometimes even soups, which can easily have temperatures upto 75- 85°C, and for polystyrene( Styrofoam) having low molecular weight, this temperature could be sufficient to cause glass to plastic transformation
i.e. the material becomes soft. You must have often experienced this when
holding the cup; it becomes soft, indicating that cup is not made of proper
molecular weight polystyrene. Lower molecular weight has lower glass transition
temperature.
And yes, Polystyrene is as such quite inert, but its monomer
(styrene) has been classified and proven to be a carcinogen by OSHA
(occupational safety and health administration). Its repeated and prolonged
use can cause organ damaged. Apart from
that, many additives are added to that polymer before it gets into its final
mold. So, the possibility of it leaching out into your drink remains.
To understand this,
one has to know that at glass transition temperature mobility of polymeric
chain increases, thus enabling unreacted monomers (in this case styrene) and
additives to move out of the polymeric structure. To support this statement, it
has been proven by tests done in labs that when hot water is held in
polystyrene cups styrene is found to leach out into the water.
Moreover, they are non bio-degradable and cause pollution. So
not a great thing to use from the environmental view point either. But they are
economical and good heat insulators –and no one likes a lukewarm tea! Hence,
they are widely used.
So what could be used instead? If you are going to use
plastic cups then prefer BPA free PETE (can be identified by symbol on the right
or #1) or BPA free HDPE (
#2), or avoid plastic cups all together and go for reusable ones like that made
of glass or ceramics. If not them then you always have those earthen pots or
“khullads”.
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| khullad or earthen cups |
In my opinion Styrofoam's (EPS) use should be avoided as much
as possible, it is good for our own health and for the environment as well. You
have probably been drinking your coffee and tea in them since long and it certainly
didn’t kill you! Plus they are really cheap and good insulators, so reluctance
in avoiding their use is understandable. Honestly though, using them a few
times doesn’t necessarily harm you, but remember precaution is always better
than cure.
