Health & Fitness
Barrett Wants Ban on Toxic Take-Out Containers
State Sen. Mike Barrett and State Rep. Frank Smizik (D-Brookline) have proposed a first-in-the-nation statewide ban on toxic take-out containers.
At a hearing Tuesday, the use of take-out containers made of polystyrene -- the main ingredient in Styrofoam -- was challenged on health and environmental grounds.
The bill up for debate, sponsored by state Sen. Mike Barrett and state Rep. Frank Smizik (D-Brookline), would institute a first-in-the-nation statewide ban on the products.
“Styrene has been labeled a carcinogen by the US Department of Health and Human Services,” Barrett says. “When it seeps into our food and coffee, over the long run it can cause headaches and hearing loss, among other symptoms.”
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“Brookline, the town I represent, has voted to ban polystyrene,” says Smizik, the House sponsor. “The communities of Amherst and Somerville have also banned products containing this dangerous substance. It is time for a statewide ban on polystyrene to protect both public health and the environment.”
Barrett notes that polystyrene products create hazardous waste. Styrofoam cups and boxes, often discarded as litter, aren’t biodegradable, so noxious chemicals re-enter the environment after they’re tossed away.