Toxic Takeout? Your Foam Food Containers Could Be Putting Your Health At Risk

Oceana, Inc.

Tue, Apr 8, 2025, 9:30 PM 6 min read

Plastic foam leaches hazardous chemicals into our food, our bodies, and our oceans, warns caller Oceana report

WASHINGTON, April 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Oceana released a new report, "Plastic Foam Needs 'To Go,'" revealing nan dangers down single-use integrative foam products for illustration clamshell takeout nutrient containers, cups, packing peanuts, and disposable coolers. According to nan report, integrative foam, which is besides called expanded polystyrene, compromises our wellness and our oceans.

Plastic foam is made pinch hazardous chemicals, for illustration its main building artifact styrene, which is toxic to nan quality tense system. Styrene is linked to crab and considered a probable quality carcinogen by nan U.S. National Institutes of Health. Styrene and different chemicals tin easy leach into nutrient and beverages astatine each temperatures, but hotter temperatures heighten nan risk.

Food and drinks containing precocious levels of fat besides summation nan leaching of styrene and different chemicals. This raises nan question: are foam takeout containers and cups risking our health? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents debar giving their children integrative products made of polystyrene, which includes integrative foam. Adding to nan concern, mini pieces of polystyrene microplastic person been recovered successful our bodies, including nan brain, blood, lungs, kidneys, and reproductive systems.

“The much you study astir foam, nan much troubling it is. This is scary stuff!” said Christy Leavitt, Oceana’s U.S. Plastics Campaign Director. “Consumers should beryllium alarmed, and authorities leaders should beryllium urgently moving to get free of integrative foam. It's unsettling that a wound of nutrient aliases sip of a portion could frighten our health, simply because it comes successful integrative foam. The bottommost statement is nutrient and beverages served successful integrative foam travel pinch added, hazardous ingredients you didn’t order. The large mobility is: why is integrative foam still being sold and utilized for nutrient and drinks erstwhile it’s linked to cancer? The grounds is clear that integrative foam threatens our wellness and our oceans, and we request authorities leaders to quickly enactment to get free of it and support reusable and refillable products.”

Plastic foam is besides 1 of nan astir communal types of marine integrative pollution, and was 1 of nan first types of integrative discovered successful nan ocean. Threatened and endangered oversea turtles, protected marine mammals (including porpoise, elephant seals, and Stellar oversea lions), shorebirds, and crabs person each eaten integrative foam. For example, disconnected Florida’s Atlantic coastline, scientists recovered threatened and endangered oversea turtles ingested polystyrene and different plastics soon aft hatching, and half of those turtles died. In a scope of studies, wildlife exposed to polystyrene microplastics successful laboratory settings faced complications, including harmful impacts to reproduction, growth, movement, and health.