oms can generally go away after not being in that environment for a few days. In order to best prevent baker’s asthma, workers should be properly covered and the workplace should have good ventilation. Another ingredient used in instant ramen noodles that has a negative environmental impact is palm oil.
Palm oil is like a silent killer; it’s in hundreds of different products but doesn’t get noticed all too well, yet the impact its manufacturing has on the earth is deadly. “[Palm oil] is a versatile vegetable oil derived from the pulp of the oil palm” (Loki 2017), which is used in up to “50% of household products” from shampoo and candles to instant ramen noodles. The oil is primarily produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, the world’s top two palm oil producers, then it is exported to different countries. Four of the top instant ramen noodle companies have factories in California. “An estimated 15% of all palm oil imported into California goes into instant ramen noodles, and most if not all comes from Indonesia or Malaysia” (Rainforest-Safe Ramen). Instant ramen noodle companies get most of their palm oil imports through California Oils Corporation, which then gets their supply from Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad (KLK). “Over 80% of KLK’s palm oil shipments to the U.S. go to California Oils, accounting for 44% of that company’s total imports” (Rainforest-Safe Ramen). The main reason why palm oil has become so controversial is because of the forests affected from extracting the oil. “A hectare of palm oil plantation yields on average 4 tonnes of crude palm oil per year” (Lau 2017) Because there is such a high demand for palm oil, in the past 20 years, “300 million hectares of rainforests have been cleared”(Lau 2017). That is roughly 741 million acres, or approximately 672 million football fields, of rainforests destroyed in order to grow the oil palm plant. This isn’t good for two prominent reasons: greenhouse gas emissions and animal endangerment. The destruction of rainforests releases carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, “...in addition to the CO2 emissions during the transformation of the crude palm oil into processed palm oil” (Lau 2017). An effect of deforestation, other than greenhouse gases, is the endangerment of species found in those areas. With palm oil, the main species suffering the consequences is the orangutan. “An estimated 1000-5000 orangutans are killed each year for this [palm oil] development” (Loki 2017). Orangutans are going extinct because their homes and sources are being destroyed. They flee their homes in order to survive but many end up dying anyways, usually from starvation, if they aren’t killed for their meat. However, many organizations are trying to stop these effects from continuing to happen. They are working on guidelines to instill in order to limit deforestation and create a more sustainable source of palm oil. This won’t be an easy task, but many companies have already pledged to use sustainable palm oil, even more have yet to do so. Apart from ingredients used in instant ramen noodle production, packaging used to sell these soups are also negatively affecting our planet.
Instant Ramen Noodles can be manufactured and sold in different forms from plastic wrappers to plastic bowls. One of the most common forms, however, is in styrofoam cups. Many instant ramen noodle companies use styrofoam because it is a great insulator. It keeps the soup warm once cooked, and it also keeps the consumer from burning themselves while they hold the cup. Sounds like a good product to use but the harmfulness of styrene outways the benefits it can have. Styrofoam, also known as polystyrene, is made up of three chemicals: benzene, styrene, and pentane. Benzene and styrene are extracted from petroleum and are both used to make polystyrene. Pentane is used as a “blowing agent” to expand polystyrene into styrofoam. Pentane makes polystyrene much lighter than its original weight. However, “...occupational exposure to [benzene and styrene] compounds carries increased risk of cancer for plant workers” (Kremer 2003)