The use of Styrofoam food containers has become widespread. Aside from being practical, Styrofoam packaging is also reasonably priced for everyday use. However, some experts believe that using Styrofoam increases the risk of developing cancer and other serious diseases. Is that true?

Why is Styrofoam considered dangerous?

Styrofoam is a trademark for products made of polystyrene sheet foam. This brand became well-known, and people began to refer to food ingredients made of this material as Styrofoam.

The use of Styrofoam is cheap and practical, but the material from which it is made is often in the spotlight because it can cause cancer. Styrofoam is made from compounds that can cause cancer, namely benzene and styrene. Benzene is a carcinogenic compound that can cause cancer, while styrene is thought to cause cell damage and serious health problems in the endocrine system and reproductive systems.

In addition to hazardous raw materials, several ways of using Styrofoam are considered to be at risk of causing harmful chemical contamination in the body, including:

1. When used for hot food containers

High temperatures can cause styrene to leach into food. Avoid using Styrofoam containers for hot food storage or microwave cooking.

2. Avoid storing food for long periods of time

When you receive food packaged in Styrofoam containers, you should immediately transfer it to another container. Keeping food in Styrofoam for too long poses a health risk.

3. Avoid storing fatty foods in Styrofoam containers

The type of food stored in Styrofoam containers can also influence the risk of styrene contamination in food. It is assumed that fatty, oily, and alcoholic foods increase styrene contamination in food. However, no studies have confirmed this mechanism. However, experts recommend limiting the use of Styrofoam containers for fatty foods.

Tips for safely using Styrofoam as food storage

Although Styrofoam poses potential health risks, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it can be used for food packaging as long as it is single-use. According to the WHO, the use of styrofoam is safe because it contains only about 0.05 ppm of styrene, whereas the dangerous limit of styrene is 5000 ppm. Similarly, the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority determined in 2009 that styrofoam is safe to use as food containers.

Although Styrofoam is safe, it should still be used in accordance with the rules of use, which are:

• Do not use Styrofoam to heat food in the microwave
• Do not use damaged Styrofoam to contain fatty or oily foods, especially when hot
• Avoid using Styrofoam for repeated use. Styrofoam is for single-use only
• When placing food on Styrofoam, use a plastic or paper liner to prevent direct contact between the food and the Styrofoam

If you need medical advice or consultation, you can either visit a doctor or make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.