Brilio.net - Styrofoam is often used as a tool for storing food , especially for traders. In fact, Styrofoam is known to be dangerous for health. A nutritionist from Malaysia who is also active as a content creator on social media confirmed this.
photo: TikTok/@mattghouzi
In a video, this man named Matt Ghozi explained that Styrofoam is not good for use as a food storage container. The reason is, styrofoam contains chemicals that have the risk of being toxic. Especially, if Styrofoam is used to place hot food .
The reason is, when hot food is put into Styrofoam packaging, it can cause the layers of Styrofoam to shrink and come off, then seep into the food.
"Styrofoam will release chemicals that are quite toxic, and these chemicals will also seep into our food," he explained, quoted by BrilioFood from TikTok @mattghouzi on Tuesday (16/7).
photo: TikTok/@mattghouzi
Matt Ghozi also said that there are three types of dangerous chemicals found in Styrofoam food packaging, namely dioxin, benzene and styrene. Reporting from blogs.colgate.edu, if these chemicals from Styrofoam enter the body, the risk is that the body could experience nerve, kidney, cancer and many more problems.
It doesn't stop there, Matt Ghozi also explained that dangerous chemicals from Styrofoam also have the risk of causing hormonal disorders and disrupting fertility. That's why he strongly recommends avoiding styrofoam cutlery.
photo: TikTok/@playwithrazka
On the other hand, Styrofoam food packaging is also non-biodegradable or cannot break down naturally. After investigating, styrofoam can only experience decomposition within 500 years. Therefore, this cutlery should not be thrown away anywhere, because the chemicals can pollute the environment.
Reporting from cehn.org, you can use alternatives to eating containers made from Styrofoam, such as paper packaging or cutlery that is safe for repeated use. Examples of cutlery that can be used more than once are stainless steel, pyrex, ceramic, and so on.