What happens when steam reacts with plastics?

Question

At my work, making coffees, several employees use steam to compress milk containers for the trash. Heres what they exactly do: They take the steam wand, insert it into the gallon jug hole, push in steam until the it reaches 150degrees. The result is a very hot milk container. Then they compress it. The gas that is pushed out is rather unpleasant smelling. Obviously there is some reaction between the heat or water vapor and the plastic jug.

Is this a health hazard? I looked up benzene then styrene and noticed styrene is a suspected carcinogen.

Answer 1

The steam is the heat medium to get the plastic close to it's nil ductility temperature, which makes it easy to compress. Check the milk containers for a triangle with a number in it. This will be the recycling category number. Below the triangle should be some letter combinations that will identify the type of plastic. Look that acronym up to find the plastic, then check online for an MSDS data sheet that will cover the hazards with working with that kind of plastic. If your company works regularly with plastic milk containers in the recycling process (instead of individual employees messing around with the milk jugs for recreation), then the company should have an MSDS data sheet that covers safe handling of the material in question.

It sounds like you work at a coffee shop, so they probably don't have a formal procedure for disposing of trash, so check the jugs for the material, and do an online search for the acronym to find the full name, then search online with the full name and then look for an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) to find out if they should be heating the jugs.

Also remember that if the jugs have been out for a while is traces of milk in them, the bad smell may be from sour milk.

Answer 2

There is probably no reaction between the steam and the plastic. The heat causes it to melt slightly which makes it easier to compress. What you smell is probably from the little bit of milk that is inside.

Answer 3

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