Yes I am, by large, still paying attention.
As the title suggests, this's a post mainly to advocate that people should avoid using styrofoam whenever possible. (I know in some instances you don't have a choice, but when given the option....)
Why?
Did you know that styrofoam cups actually gets lighter as you drink from them?
When people say "styrofoam" or "foam" they're usually thinking about polystyrene, something that's made from petroleum (a derivative of). Polystyrene, as the name implies (poly=many) is made of styrene. Styrene has a tendency to leak onto other stuff. Namely food. Especially food that contains fat. (Yum, styrene in your food, how about that?) When you eat styrene, it may not stay as styrene in your body. Your body makes (metabolizes) styrene oxide out of it. Styrene oxide is not proven to cause cancer in humans (carcinogenic), but it is known to cause cancer in animals. (Which I take it to mean lab rats, because, pardon me for asking, are humans not animals? Default human arrogance strikes, once again.) So it's put down as PROBABLY cancer causing to humans (scroll down to "unsaturated polyesters" under "monomers"), though there's also this (scroll to section under "How likely is styrene to cause cancer"). In any case, styrene kills brain cells (i.e. counted as a neurotoxin).
So yes, if you can, avoid styrofoam.
SF's got a head start on it though
And while I'm at it ("it" meaning scientific/environmental info dump), I might as well as try a little propaganda:
Go here to sign an open letter (you can get your name listed as "anonymous" if you're feeling squimish) to demand that Ford keeps its word and its commitement of making hybrid models. (Ford vehicles, by the way, supposidely have "the worst fuel economy". See site.)
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