Styrofoam Coffee Cups – Coffee Cherish

Styrofoam is just another terminology used for the polystyrene material. Polystyrene is infused with gas to get polystyrene froth which is then utilized for food bundling. As far as drinking coffee is in a Styrofoam cup is concerned, you may drink it sometimes. But as far as your health is concerned, I will not recommend using a Styrofoam cup to drink your daily coffee. A Styrofoam cup works effectively at keeping drinks or beverages hot for some time. This is because Styrofoam is made from the material known as Styrene which is basically a petroleum product. Through a process called as polymerization, it is converted into a foam board. The cup made from Styrofoam offers good amount of insulation which helps to keep hot beverages hot for sufficient amount of time. Although you can drink coffee from a Styrofoam cup, it is not good for your health to do so on a regular basis. Because Styrene, the material from which Styrofoam is made, could be carcinogenic for humans. Therefore, it is best for your health to avoid drinking coffee in a Styrofoam cup. Rather than that, you can use eco-friendly options such as reusable coffee mug or a stainless steel Hydro Flask coffee travel mug. Both of these coffee mugs are great for maintaining the coffee temperature for at least 7-8 hours. Are Styrofoam Cups Good for Hot Drinks? In short, the answer is “No” if you are using it on a regular basis. Heat from the hot drinks such as tea and coffee or the heat coming from microwaving drinks, is responsible for filtering few synthetics from extended polystyrene material. These synthetic substances are styrene, benzene and more tiny measures of other poisonous materials. These filtered out chemicals then mix into the hot drinks stored in the Styrofoam cups. Hot tea or coffee filled in the Styrofoam cup causes some filtering of these chemicals. Styrofoam cups are utilized as insulators for home and family items, including expendable cups. Major medical problems can appear in certain individuals with more utilization of extended polystyrene items such as these Styrofoam coffee cups. Extended use of these cups may cause gastrointestinal problems and disturbance in your eyes, skin and upper respiratory tract. Due to these health issues, it is highly recommended to avoid using Styrofoam cups for drinking hot beverages including your daily coffee. Recommended Articles for You: Is It Okay to Microwave Dixie Coffee Cups? How Safe is Your Plastic Coffee Cup for Regular Coffee Consumption? Is It Safe to Microwave McDonald’s Coffee Cups? Is It Safe to Drink Hot Coffee from a Styrofoam Cup? These items are intended for single time usage. Several everyday office working individuals use extended polystyrene cups or Styrofoam coffee cups on a daily basis. However, you must be careful not to use these types of cups excessively. Polystyrene from Styrofoam cups and holders can undoubtedly get into the food or drinks conveyed in them. Styrene is a carcinogenic agent that can also cause several other health issues. Some of those issues include aggravation and emission of mucous from your eyes and nose, more exhaustion, affecting your capacity to think, and can upset the chemical capacities bringing about thyroid issues. The 'styrene' present in Styrofoam cups and other such holders can infuse with the food or refreshments contained in them. These food varieties can be anything, going from hot or cold beverages, snacks, alcohol to acidic items. Therefore, I would not recommend using such types of Styrofoam cups for drinking your regular coffee. Instead, try using eco-friendly and safe stainless steel Hydro Flask coffee tumbler. (Source: Healthbeckon.com) Does Hot Coffee Melt Styrofoam Cups? Absolutely not, the Styrofoam cups are thicker and heavier than average paper cups. Polystyrene being a nice insulator, helps keep the coffee hot for some time and prevents the cup from melting too. Although the Styrofoam cup will start melting at 212 degrees Fahrenheit and will completely melt at 464 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the reason, it is best for single time usage. Reusing it more than once makes it even more thin and lightweight as it loses all its frontal layers. Since the cups get soft at 212F, they would not survive the reheating temperatures of an oven (usually around 320F to 350F). Also, if the Styrofoam starts burning then it is really bad for health, as it will release dangerous and harmful chemicals. They might affect your lungs severely in this case. However, reset assured that coffee will not melt Styrofoam cups because of their strong construction. Can You Reuse Styrofoam Cups for Drinking Coffee? As far as reusing the same Styrofoam cups for coffee consumption is concerned, I wound not recommend to do so. The same Styrofoam cups must not be used again for consuming any beverages as it could be hazardous for your health. The Styrene substance could be released in your hot drink and it can cause several health issues later on. This is why it is not recommended to reuse Styrofoam cups to drink coffee. As you already know, Styrofoam contains Styrene which is not a bio-degradable substance. Keep in mind that this substance requires around 500 years to break down. It’s important to know that a large portion of the food items that we buy today could be dispensable but not decomposable. Additionally, the simple course of handling polystyrene can pollute the air badly (Example – Burning of Styrofoam cups). At the point, when polystyrene cups wander down the channels and drains to converge with the large oceans and seas, it increases the possibility of killing marine life. This is why, we as humans must try to either reduce its usage or at least re-purpose the Styrofoam material. Here are some unique ways to reuse your Styrofoam cups. 1. Tighten the loose screws around your house 2. Using it as packaging materials 3. Amplify sound for smart devices 4. Can act as a good sole pad for shoes 5. Can be used for stage props. Can You Microwave Styrofoam Cups for Reheating Coffee? The wellbeing of your health is one of the main concerns when one warms food and drinks in the microwave machine. Because of the immense health-related concerns, these days, microwaving coffee in Styrofoam cups is not at all recommended for you. This makes us think about which sort of cup is most appropriate for reheating coffee in the microwave machine. Styrofoam coffee cups are moreover okay to use in a microwave, as long as the expendable cup is microwave safe. You can put a Styrofoam cup in the microwave and heat your coffee if it is named as microwave safe. Styrofoam coffee cups in the microwave is labelled safe by FDA endorsed principles. Also, you should really take a good look at the warming temperature and time. Set the power level temperature to medium and warm it for 30 seconds or less, to keep up with safety principles. Styrofoam coffee cups can meltdown in the microwave at really high temperature. Therefore, you should limit the heating temperature to certain level and should not go beyond 30 seconds to 1 minute at max. You may not place the coffee mug in the microwave for a lengthy stretch of time on a high heat level. The given power level is medium hot to warm your drinks in the microwave, particularly when utilizing Styrofoam coffee cups. At this point, we realize that Styrofoam is a low-cost option in comparison to disposable cups to serve coffee. However, in case you are worried about your health concerns, then at that point, you won’t have any issues. Styrofoam coffee cup is safe to use in the microwave up to certain temperature limit. And you can surely warm your coffee with the help of microwave safe Styrofoam cups. Final Thoughts You can surely use Styrofoam coffee cups to drink hot coffee sometimes. But I would not recommend using these cups on a regular basis as it contains carcinogenic Styrene substance. You may use microwave safe Styrofoam coffee cups to reheat your coffee up to 30 seconds. However, it is in your best interest not to reuse these types of cups for drinking any beverages to safeguard your health for long term basis. References: https://www.healthbeckon.com/drink-coffee-styrofoam-cups-research-says-hazardous/ https://microwavemealprep.com/can-you-microwave-coffee-in-a-styrofoam-cup/ https://thekitchencommunity.org/can-you-put-styrofoam-in-the-oven/ https://get-green-now.com/reuse-styrofoam/