Disposable Coffee Cups & Containers Found to Harbor Carcinogens
Plastic and styrofoam cups have become commonplace in the daily lives of millions worldwide. The convenience and cost effectiveness of these disposable items has led to thousands of companies dispensing them to customers without knowing that they contain two substances that have been linked to cancer. Formaldehyde and styrene, two chemicals found in disposable coffee cups and containers, have both been added to the federal government’s list of known or suspected carcinogens.
Formaldehyde has been linked to both leukemia and a rare type of nasal cancer, and is “known to be a human carcinogen,” according to a report by the National Institutes of Health. Styrene is another carcinogenic chemical often used in food containers. Formaldehyde and styrene are but 2 of the 6 chemicals added to the list of known carcinogens as constructed by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
“Reducing exposure to cancer-causing agents is something we all want, and the Report on Carcinogens provides important information on substances that pose a cancer risk,” said Dr. Linda Birnbaum, director of both the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP). “The NTP is pleased to be able to compile this report.”
Additional Sources:
You can read the full report, entitled 12th Report on Carcinogens, here:
https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/roc12
Formaldehyde and styrene, two chemicals found in disposable coffee cups and containers, have both been added to the federal
Two chemicals found in disposable coffee cups and containers, have both been added to the federal