The styrene used in these products is synthetically manufactured in petrochemical plants. However, styrene also occurs in the environment and is a natural component of many common foods, such as coffee, strawberries and cinnamon.

Some people confuse styrene, which is a liquid, with polystyrene, which is a solid plastic made from polymerised styrene. Styrene and polystyrene are fundamentally different. Polystyrene is inert, and has no smell of styrene, therefore polystyrene often is used in applications where hygiene is important, such as health care and food service products.

Do I come into contact with styrene?
Most people are exposed to styrene in tiny amounts that may be present in the air, or that occur in food (styrene is a natural component of foods such as cinnamon, beef, coffee beans, peanuts, wheat, oats, strawberries, and peaches). These generally are trace amounts, which were difficult to detect until recent technological advances. We also may recognise styrene by its distinctive odour when using certain products containing styrene such as polyester resin solutions.

As noted, polystyrene is often used in applications where hygiene is important, such as health care and food service products. Other sections of the Styrene Forum will explain these distinctions, but for specific information on polystyrene products, visit the US Polystyrene Packaging Council web site or the Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe websites

Is styrene harmful to my health?
Styrene is not harmful in the very small amounts most people might sometimes encounter in air or food. Someone working with resin solutions containing styrene (patching the surface of a fibreglass boat, for example) may find the odour of styrene causes slight nausea if instructions to ensure adequate ventilation are not heeded. This goes away with exposure to fresh air, and there is no lasting effect.

As with all chemicals it is important to control one's level of exposure to the product. Guidelines on this are contained in published Safety Data Sheets (SDS), known in US terminology as Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), that are produced and updated by the producers of the product. These SDS (MSDS) provide guidelines on the maximum allowable average exposure to the product that is permitted under the relevant country regulation. For those not directly working with the product, typical exposure levels will be well below those permitted. However in the case of an accident or in instances of intentional abuse, potentially dangerous exposure levels could be reached in which case the SDS (MSDS) should be consulted for the appropriate remedial action.

In an important decision made in 1994 after an extensive assessment of its possible health and environmental effects, the government agencies Health Canada and Environment Canada concluded that styrene is "non-toxic" for regulatory purposes. After a thorough review of health effects data and evaluation of potential human and environmental exposures, they found styrene "does not constitute a danger to human life and health" and "does not constitute a danger to the environment on which human life depends."

As part of a continuing effort to protect health and the environment, the European Union and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency currently are both conducting formal reviews that will provide assessments of the scientific data on styrene.

For more information on styrene health effect research, visit the Styrene Information & Research Centre.

What about the safety of polystyrene food packaging?
Recent, independent scientific studies show that polystyrene food and beverage containers, ranging from ice cream containers to hot noodle cups, are safe for normal everyday use. However, over the last few years, there have been misleading reports in the news that some components of polystyrene might migrate from food containers into the food during microwaving or heating, causing oestrogenic and potentially adverse health effects in consumers. So-called environmental oestrogens cover both natural and man-made substances in the environment that are said to act like oestrogens (hormones that occur naturally in both plants and animals).

The styrene industry has always taken seriously its obligation for product safety. After the first studies suggesting effects were published, the industry conducted further research under the supervision of independent laboratories. It is worth mentioning that all these studies simulated highly exaggerated exposure conditions: the dose selected for one of the studies was equivalent to a daily intake of yoghurt of 5,000 grams per person - far more than even the most fanatic enthusiast eats in a day!

The research, conducted in Europe, the United States and Japan, clearly supports the conclusion that it is safe to eat hot or cold foods packaged in polystyrene. These conclusions are consistent with the findings of the Ministry of Health in Japan, which recently said that there is no reason to regulate the use of polystyrene products in relation to potential concerns over environmental oestrogens.

It is also worth emphasising that, in all industrialised countries, materials used in containers for food contact are subjected to rigorous testing. Health agencies like the US Food and Drug Administration or the European Scientific Committee on Food set tight industry standards with high safety factors that all packaging materials must meet in order to be used for food contact. This way, consumers can feel confident that the products they use under normal conditions are safe: and that is of course also the case with polystyrene.

What about the odour of styrene?
Styrene's distinctive odour can be detected even when styrene is present at extremely low levels - levels that are many, many times below any possible health effect concern level. People living near facilities that make or use styrene may occasionally notice a slight scent of it in the air.

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