Carcinogenic Substance Found In Plastic Packaging And Disposable Cups’ -World Health Organization

According to World Health Organization (WHO), Plastic packaging, disposable cups and rubber based containers comprises of a chemical which could probably lead to cancerous conditions.

Material known as Styrene, which is used to make latex, synthetic rubber, styrofoam and other polystyrene resins have been termed as carcinogenic for humans. According to a research, conducted by the International Agency For Research On Cancer (IARC), people who are continuously exposed to styrene at work have increased chances of developing leukemia and nasal cancer. Styrene is also said to be present in the air, possibly due to printer machines, photocopiers and cigarette smoke.

In addition to being deadly, the products made from this material are non- biodegradable waste, that is dumped into our oceans and landfills, increasing environment pollution.

While working on this research, IARC studied records of more than 70,000 people who worked in Danish Plastics Industry, and also obtained evidences from performing tests on animals to evaluate the risks of being exposed to styrene.

Denmark’s Aarhus University’s, Prof Henrik Kolstad stated that, as per recent studies, styrene does show an increased risk of developing cancerous conditions like, acute myeloid leukemia.