Is Styrene plastic bad for T's?

[Arachnomore]

Still figuring out the last specs on custom T enclosures.. does anyone know if Styrene contains oils or anything that will kill a T?

 

[Le Wasp]

When many plastics are manufactured, they are treated with a curing agent that is slowly emitted from the plastic's surface (think "new car smell"). The volatiles coming off of the plastic can cause some problems for critters with small lungs.

I don't think styrene production uses curing agents that remain in the plastic, so it should be fairly pure material. For studying insect behavior, if we are going to use plastic containers, we put them through an autoclave first. Basically, the plastic goes through boiling water, speeding the process of getting all the volatiles out. I don't know styrene very well, but if it did have volatiles, that would probably warp it.

 

[cacoseraph]

frog me
i need to study chemistry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrene

Styrene is a toxin, an irritant, and a potential carcinogen. See MSDS.

i *think* you might be talking about polystyrene plastic though?
yeah, styrene appears to be a VERY nasty liquid

 

[Xaranx]

Ouch, that's rough.

 

[Arachnomore]

yea polystyrene is safe. Ive been reading about it. I'm going to test em all first. Put some fish in a couple haha

 

[ahicks51]

frog me
i need to study chemistry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrene



I *think* you might be talking about polystyrene plastic though?
yeah, styrene appears to be a VERY nasty liquid

The monomers of many polymers are very toxic. The stuff we use to water crickets with (polyacrylamide or polyacrylate- I'm not sure which) is VERY toxic as a monomer. Link them together (as a polymer), and you're good to go- until they de-polymerize.

Styrene is safe enough to use as a plastic foam ("Styrofoam" cups, which aren't actually Styrofoam, which is a trade name for the insulation) for drinking coffee.

Run them through the dishwasher first if you're concerned, or call the company and see if they add any curing agents or plasticizers. Even if they do, it's probably not a big deal. The only truly safe, non-contaminating product is glass- which has its own drawbacks.

 

[Moltar]

I hadn't thought it out quite this much. I figure if it can be sold for storing food then it's pretty much safe for t's too.

 

[Mattyb]

I'm not sure what the different plastics are, but I've kept many Ts in Tupperware containers and sterilite containers without any problems.

 

[cacoseraph]

ethan

plastics leach all kinds of nasty stuff into foods and drinks. so.. they aren't actually 100% safe. they are... er... safe enough







hehehe i bought college chem101 and bio101 this weekend

 

[DrAce]

There are many things in plastics which are not the plastic itself. Normally there are additives called 'plasticers' which are added to keep the plastic in the form that it's in - sometimes bendy, sometimes hard. Often it's to prevent them becoming brittle.

Unfortunately, these tend to leach over time... or break down in light. That's often why plastics tend to get brittle if they are left in the sun, or heat.

I seriously doubt that there is anything in the plastic which will really harm a tarantula. I'd be more concerned about the solvents in the glue you'd be using. That being said, make sure you air the box out before you place the spider in it, and you should be good to go.

And I have a doctorate in Chemistry... for the record.