Styrofoam, with a capital ‘S’, is a trademarked brand of polystyrene products used primarily for insulation and craft applications. With a common ‘s’, the word is used generically to refer to disposable coffee cups, lunch boxes and padding for packaging. They are produced via different chemical processes, with Styrofoam coming from extruded polystyrene, and styrofoam coming from expanded polystyrene.

The Styrofoam brand can be identified by its roughness and the fact that it ‘crunches’ when cut. Also, it is moderately soluble in many organic solvents, cyanoacrylate, and spray-paint propellants and solvents.

In spite of the differences, however, and in spite of their relatively cheap cost and convenience, scientists say polystyrene in any form or brand poses grave danger to the marine environment and to humans.

Director of the Centre for Marine Sciences at the University of the West Indies ,Professor Mona Webber explained that polystyrene is a petroleum-based plastic and is one of the chemicals that makes styrofoam. It can cause acute irritation of the skin and eyes and upper respiratory inflammation in some cases. Other sources suggest that prolonged exposure to high amounts of styrene may affect the central nervous system, causing diseases like Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

“The problem is that styrofoam doesn’t biodegrade easily, and when it gets into the environment and is broken down into small fragments, called microplastics, fish and other animals will ingest it and once ingested, polystyrene can affect their size. They tend to be small and they tend to be sluggish. That means they fall easy prey, especially the young ones,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

“The trouble, too, with polystrene plastics is that they absorb persistent organic substances, which are toxic chemicals, such as pesticides. So, the fish ingest that and we, in turn, the top predators, ingest them too,” she added.

Prof Webber conceded that, while no research has been conducted on the subject locally, there is a wealth of credible data availble internationally.

For example, researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden recently discovered that fish exposed to microplastics had stunted growth, were less active, and ignored warning signals of predators.

Research has shown, too, that 52 per cent of the world’s sea turtles have ingested plastics or other man-made rubbish, an act that can be fatal since plastics can block and/or pierce their intestines, and release toxic chemicals into their bodies.

Scientists in the UK have found that plastic is becoming increasingly found in the stomachs of seabirds, noting that in the 1960s, just five per cent of individual seabirds had plastic in their gut, compared to 80 per cent in 2010. If the trend continues, they say, the entire population is likely to have ingested plastic by 2050.

The US Environmental Protection Agency considers polystyrene a possible carcionogenic, which means it can potentially cause cancers. Still, debate lingers about whether or not styrene can migrate into food, which is stored in foam food containers.

In light of the controversy, some US cities have outlawed the use of foam take-out containers, notably San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon. NEw York started to implement a similar ban in early 2015, but a September court ruling has since applied the brakes.

The discussion about a possible ban on plastics heated up in the island a few weeks ago when Government Senator Matthew Samuda announced that he would soon be tabling a bill before Parliament to that effect.

As far as Webber is concerned, boxes and paper bags, which are organic and therefore biodegradable, are the safest alternatives to styrofoam. With respect to plastic beverage bottles, she suggested that glass is an option, but stressed that recycling needs to be integrated into the country’s waste disposal strategy as it provides a solution to the plastic bottle problem.