Wednesday, February 6, 2008
500 years to dissolve
Styrofoam cups make up 40-60% of the volume in our nation's landfills. Styrofoam takes 500 years to dissolve, but when packed into landfills it can take nearly a millenium. Styrofoam is composed of three major chemicals, each of which is hazardous in its own way. When styrofoam dissolves, these chemicals seep into the ground water. Burning styrofoam is also extremely hazardous to the environment. When styrofoam is burned it releases over 900 different toxins into the air. This is why we should not use styrofoam products. The green alternatives like eco-foam work equally well and do not present such danger to the environment. People need to take care of the environment if they expect it to sustain civilization.
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4 comments:
I didn't know half that stuff.
Wow I never knew that styrofoam could be so harmful! Do you know what the cost would be for manufacturers to switch over to safer materials? And what are the chemicals that styrofoam are made of? It would be interesting to know.
Wow! After reading that, I have to agree that choosing a different alternative to styrofoam would be a great solution.
You state that "Styrofoam is composed of three major chemicals, each of which is hazardous in its own way." What exactly are these chemicals and how are they hazardous?
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