New efforts are pushing to keep more styrofoam out of the world's oceans

June 8 is World Oceans Day — a day officially designated by the United Nations to draw attention to the importance oceans play in our health and the health of the world. Worldwide, 33 billion pounds of plastic enters the oceans every year. This year, one advocacy organization is drawing attention to the damage one particular type of plastic poses — single-use plastic foam, commonly referred to as Styrofoam. “Plastic foam is one of the most problematic single-use plastics. It breaks apart really easily. It's really lightweight, and so it travels far and wide, but in the air and in the water too,” said Christy Leavitt, a senior campaign director at Oceana. When plastic foam breaks down into tiny pieces, animals like sea turtles and birds can end up eating it, causing significant health problems. And microplastic foam has been found in humans too. “So the building block of plastic foam is styrene. It's a building block for all polystyrene plastics, and polystyrene is classified as a probable carcinogen by the National Institute of Health, which means it probably causes cancer,” Leavitt said. "There are a lot of health impacts of plastic foam, and it shouldn't be something that we are eating and drinking out of." Twelve states and over 250 counties and cities have passed legislation banning plastic foam in food ware. Washington, D.C. is one of those jurisdictions, and its laws go even further, also banning disposable coolers and packing peanuts. In 2021, the Virginia legislature passed a plastic foam ban for restaurants, and it goes into full effect on July 1. ------------------------------------- Follow Scripps News on other platforms— Join our newsletter at https://bit.ly/2q1tepr Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scrippsnews/ Follow us on X: https://x.com/scrippsnews Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scrippsnews/ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scrippsnews