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Paraphrase
Polystyrene and Health Homepage
Health Effects
There is evidence that show styrene can causes cancer in animals, but does not yet been proven to causes cancer in humans. Styrene primarily exhibits its toxicity to humans as a neurotoxin by attacking the central and peripheral nervous system. The accumulation of these highly lipidsoluble (fat-soluble) materials in the lipid-rich tissues of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves is correlated with acute or chronic functional impairment of the nervous system. For example, women exposed to low concentration of styrene vapors in the workplace are known to have a variety of neurotoxic and menstrual problems. A research found that, 110 women exposed to styrene vapors at levels about 5mg/m3 demonstrated menstrual disorders, particularly perturbations of the menstrual cycle and a hypermenorrhea (unusually heavy flow of menses during the menstrual cycle syndrome. Styrene- exposed women often suffered from metabolic disturbances occurring during preganancy.
http://www.ejnet.org/plastics/polystrene/health.html
No More Polystyrene Food Container, Please….
Environmental impact
Foamed polystyrene blows in the wind and floats on water, and is abundant in the outdoor environment.
Weathering by wind, sun, rain, and wave action degrade polystyrene to known and suspected carcinogens, including styrene monomer, styrene dimer and styrene trimer. However, styrene is an organic, naturally occurring substances in our environment and to date, no regulatory body anywhere in the world has classified styrene as a known human carcinogen, although several refer to it in various contexts as a possible or potential human carcinogen. Moreover, styrene is quickly broken down in the air, evaporates quickly in shallow soil and water, and what remains in soil and water can be further broken down by bacteria and microorganisms.
Polystyrene foams are produced using blowing agents that form bubbles and expand the foam. In expanded polystyrene, there are usually hydrocarbons such as pentane, which may pose a flammability hazard in manufacturing or storage of newly manufactured material, but have relatively mild environmental impact. Their ozone depletion potential is greatly reduced relative to chlorofluorocarbon which were formerly used, but their global warming potential can be on the order of 1000 or more, meaning it has 1000 times greater effect on global warming that does carbon dioxide