Styrofoam

Following on my story on 'Styrofoam' Paranoid

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Polystyrene Foam Report

What is it?

Polystyrene is a petroleum-based plastic made from the styrene monomer. Most people know it under the name Styrofoam, which is actually the trade name of a polystyrene foam product used for housing insulation. Polystyrene is a light-weight material, about 95% air, with very good insulation properties and is used in all types of products from cups that keep your beverages hot or cold to packaging material that keep your computers safe during shipping. 

 
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Source: 'Toxics In Plastic'; pg11 ISBN 983-104-088-0 / CAP Guide by Consumers' Association of Penang.

... the styrofoam containers used for the noodles leached styrene when boiling water was poured into them.

... consumption of styrene can cause liver and kidney damage as well as irregular heartbeat. 

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Human Exposure to Phthalates

Phthalates (pronounced "thal - eights")
Phthalates are chemicals used in many plastics to make them soft or flexible, i.e. plasticizers. They are widely used in plastic products in the food and construction industries, plus they are used extensively in beauty products, pesticides, wood finishes, insect repellents, solvents and lubricants. There are a number of phthalates with differing though often overlapping health effects. Studies have linked various phthalates to abnormal male sexual development, male infertility, premature breast development, cancer, miscarriage, premature birth and asthma. Because phthalates are not chemically bound to the plastic polymer, they can easily migrate out. 
 
Common Phthalates
Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP)
Benzylbutyl phthalate (BzBP)
Di-isononyl phthalate (DINP)
Dicylohexyl phthalate (DCHP)
Diethyl phthalate (DEP)
Di-n-octyl phthalate (DOP)
Dibutyl phthalate (DBP)
 

Routes of human exposure to plastic additives

• Microwaving foods (esp. acidic and fatty entrees) in plastic containers
• TV dinners in plastic trays or with plastic film
• Boil-in-bag foods
• Bottled water
• Migration into cheeses/meats, etc, from stretch wrap
• Hospitalization or medical procedures (stents, catheters, IVs, respiratory devices). IV Bags with fatty substances like food or blood contain up to 50% DEHP
• Pacifiers, baby bottles and children's toys
• Cooking with Teflon cookware
• Canned foods lined with plastic lacquer
• Eating fish/meats/dairy products (phthalates in food chain)
• Baby foods and infant formulae
• House dust (e.g. PVC dust from common household vinyls such as flooring)
• Air (e.g. phthalates released from plastic car interiors i.e. that "new car" smell, vinyl flooring)