HAZARDS ASSOCIATED ON USING A PAPER CUP FOR DRINKING HOT BEVERAGES

Once I came to know about a fact which stated the following information. “Ancient people used antimony cups to store wine (for several hours). Wine contains tartaric acid and this chemical compound reacts with the antimony material in the cup to form the toxic Antimony Potassium tartrate, which when consumed may lead to death”. From the above case, we can realize the dangers which can be caused due to the hazardous materials present in the storage materials or cups. A similar type of hazard, which is associated with consumption of hot beverages from paper cups is given briefly in this post. 

CONTENTS

•      Introduction
•      Fact behind its coating
•      Paper cup manufacturing
•      Health and Environmental hazards
•      Is Recycling of Paper Cups possible?
•      Other hazards
•      Conclusion
•      How to create a solution?

INTRODUCTION
According to a common man, a paper cup is made only by paper. One of its greatest advantage is that it replaced hazardous plastic cups. It is found almost in every places ( Hotels, Hostels, Industries, Trains etc.) A common man thinks that they are easily disposed.

FACT BEHIND ITS COATING

        Actually, Paper cup is not just made of paper. It consists of an inner coating which is made either with wax or with Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE).When a hot beverage is poured in the cup, the inner layer melts in case of Wax or  leaches harmful chemicals in case of Polyethylene thus affecting the health of the consumers.There are several facts which are to be known by common people on Paper cup production. You may think that the primary inner coating is wax. But the real fact is, the main inner inorganic coating is made of LDPE while a small amount of wax might be sprayed for polished look or to enhance the stability to hold water without leakage.

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PAPER CUP MANUFACTURING

                  Paper cup can be easily manufactured by Paper cup manufacturing machines. This led to the increased production in paper cups and even small-scale industries started manufacturing them. Here, the LDPE is coated to the inner layer of the paper and finally the bottom lid is attached with the paper to form the ‘cup’ shape.

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS

       There are several Environmental effects related with paper cup usage. Paper cups are non Biodegradable since it's a mixed Waste. It takes nearly 20 years to degrade. Also, these cups are non recyclable since separation of inner LDPE layer is hard and has to be done for recycling it. So, they mostly reach the landfills after usage which leads to Land Pollution. In the landfills, normally wastes will be burned there which leads to the  production of Dioxins which is a carcinogen.

Paper cup demerits - Takes more than 20 years to degrade

         Some health issues include Intestinal obstruction (incase of excessive consumption of Paraffin wax from wax coated paper cup), Cancer (due to the production of Dioxins on burning), Suppression of Hormones  (Estrogenic Chemicals leaching from LDPE coated paper cups), cattle diseases to those which feed on paper cup landfills.

IS RECYCLING OF PAPER CUPS POSSIBLE?
        Paper cup recycling is commercially impossible as it is a tedious process. The important steps that are to be taken if recycling is chosen are, separation of LDPE layer from the paper followed by shredding the paper and extracting the pulp. The separation of this inorganic layer is much harder and economically not feasible. Also. Tons and tons of water is required for the Recycling operation. These factors led to the disposal of paper cups rather than recycling it.

OTHER DISADVANTAGES
Paper cups are primarily made of paper and so the raw material is absolutely Tree pulp. This surely will lead to cutting down of trees and loss of habitat. This can be reduced by using recycled paper. Yet that alone would not be sufficient for the entire production. But it can reduce the amount of trees needed for the production process.


CONCLUSION

        Thus, to avoid all these hazards, it is better to have a steel glass with us or to wait till bio plastic arrives or even you can create the change!!!

Every problem can be solved

HOW TO CREATE A SOLUTION?
         If you wish to make a change, you can design your own paper cup with a different biofilm. The main criteria for selection of material for biofilm is its Hydrophobic property. Hydrophobicity means the ability of certain materials to repel the water. Hydrophobic material is exactly defined as the material that hates water. The next criteria is that the material should be edible. There are chances of reaction between biofilm material and the beverage poured. Since the utilisation of paper cup is high and also with no other alternative resource for paper cup, the new product will surely make an impact in the  paper cup market. Also, the economic need of the new product should be less so that it will be easily affordable. Also, simpler unit operations will be an additional benefit.

   

                                               

Thus I conclude with the statement "Try to innovate the small things around you and it will bring a greater impact to the surrounding". Read other posts from this blog and share it with your family and friends.