Most of us have Tupperware full of last night’s dinner sitting the refrigerator. What you don’t know is that if those containers are made of styrofoam or plastic they’re slowly killing you and the environment. Safer alternative options include containers made of glass or silicone that are readily available in stores and don’t contain these harmful materials.
Styrofoam is a non-biodegradable material used in the storage of food due to its insulation properties. Despite its cheap and convenient nature, the health risks it poses are substantial. Styrofoam is composed of a chemical known as styrene which contaminates the food it comes into contact with. Once the contaminated food is ingested it can cause an array of effects that range in level of severity. Irritation of the eyes, headaches, weakness and strain on the kidneys are the lesser effects of styrene. Further exposure to styrene can cause fatigue, nervousness, difficulty sleeping and affect the cardiovascular and respiratory system. A study conducted by the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station found that eggs packaged in Styrofoam have seven times more styrene than eggs packaged in recyclable cardboard containers. All food packaged with Styrofoam is exposed to this high level of contamination and poses a health risk to consumers.
Plastic containers also pose an outstanding health risk due to their internal chemical compounds. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a main component of plastic containers that taints all food it comes into contact with. According to the CDC, 90 percent of consumers have detectable levels of BPA in their system. When ingested BPA has the ability to disrupt the endocrine system which controls one’s hormones. Depending on ingestion levels, the chemical has the potential to severely affect male and female reproductive systems, increase likeliness for development of cognitive disorders, thyroid issues, breast and prostate cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. BPA is prominent in any plastic food packaging, plastic water bottles, canned foods and plastic baby bottles. The widespread use of plastics poses a threat to the health and safety of consumers.
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Discarded plastics such as grocery bags, containers, plastic bottles or six-pack rings drastically harm marine life. Each year over a million marine animals are killed due to their ingestion of plastics. High percentages of sea turtles, sea lions, fish and whales have been found to ingest a form of plastic resulting in reduced quality of life or death. It is estimated that by 2050 the plastics in oceans will outnumber the number of fish due to the growing amount of waste each year. If the switch to biodegradable containers is made, and the amount of plastic wasted decreases, marine animal’s quality of life will slowly increase.
Make the smart choice and switch to glass containers and do your best to reduce the amount of plastic in your life with reusable shopping bags and water bottles. Let’s do our best to save the planet, collegiettes!