Polystyrene Container

Every time when you are having your packed meal, do you concern about the container used for your packed meals? What containers do you usually use for your packed meals?

Nowadays, polystyrene containers are the most popular container used for packed lunch. Due to its lower cost and convenience, most people choose it as the container for packed meals. Besides that, polystyrene containers are easily available on the market. However, many consumers do not aware of the negative impacts brought by polystyrene containers.

First of all, polystyrene container disposes poisonous elements when it is heated. Polystyrene contains the toxic substances Styrene and Benzene, suspected carcinogens and neurotoxins. So, when we pack our fresh warm food by using polystyrene container, the heat of food will cause the container itself to eliminate poisonous gases. Those gases might bring harmfulness to our human body such as causing cancer and food poisoning.

Research found that in packaged foods with the addition of heat (such as microwave temperatures), vitamin A will decompose and produce m-xylene, toluene, and 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene. Toluene will aggressively dissolve polystyrene. All those gases will be absorbed into our body tissue and bring harmfulness.

Lastly, as a reminder, please reduce the use of polystyrene to pack you food. Do take care of your life and stay healthy. 

Useful Journal on SIRIM

I found a very useful journal on "SIRIM", anyone who would like to know in dept about SIRIM, can read and download this article. ^^

Click on this link:

http://www.sirim.my/f_corp/snq.pdf

SIRIM Approved Electrical Appliances

How safe are your electrical stuffs in your house? Does your kettle have “SIRIM” logo? Do your plugs labeled with “SIRIM”? If they are not, beware of their safety. It might cause some unpredictable accident. Why is it “SIRIM” logo important?

SIRIM ensures that the particular electrical appliance is suitable to be used in Malaysia. Besides that, it must be able to operate at a voltage of 240 (+5%, -10%) and at a frequency of 50Hz. In addition, it must attached with 3-pin plug (13A) or 2-pin plug (2.5A), suitable for Malaysian socket-outlet.

Bear in mind that, if the electrical appliances is not labeled with “SIRIM”, its safety is not promised. Recent years, some shops tend to import some electrical appliances from Indonesia, China and so on. Because of the cheaper prices, some consumers are attracted to buy it. However, consumers need to know that those appliances do not undergo series of testing and their safety should be doubted. It is not worth that we buy cheaper electrical appliances which might cause dangers.

Hence, consumers should think rationally before they buy electrical appliances. It is definitely safer for us to buy an electrical appliance with “SIRIM” logo. Although it might cost more, we should put our safety in the first place. 

Plastics Safety

Recent years, publics have increased their awareness towards plastics. As we all know, plastics play an extremely important role in our daily lives. Lots of products are made from plastics.

However, no all plastic products can be safely used. Some of them might contain hazardous elements. Also, not all plastic products are reusable. For example, plastic bottles shouldn’t be reuse as it release poison odour after washed. In addition, most of the plastics cannot stand heat. Hence, it is not advisable to pour hot water into plastic bottles. Below, I would like to introduce several kinds of plastics that we usually use in our daily lives.

(Retrieved from http://www.care2.com/greenliving/which-plastics-are-safe.html)

1.     Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE) 
Usage: Drinking bottles (soft drin, mineral water, etc)
Advantage: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

2.     High density polyethylene (HDPE)
Usage: Milk, water, and juice bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners, and grocery, trash, and retail bags.
Advantage: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

3.     Polyvinyl chloride (V or PVC) 
Usage: Most cling-wrapped meats, cheeses, and other foods sold in delicatessens and groceries are wrapped in PVC.
Disadvantages: To soften into its flexible form, manufacturers add “plasticizers” during production. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of PVC when in contact with foods. According to the National Institutes of Health, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), commonly found in PVC, is a suspected human carcinogen.

4.    Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
Usage: Some bread and frozen food bags and squeezable bottles.
Advantage: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones, but not as widely recycled as #1 or #2.

5.    Polypropylene (PP)
Usage: Some ketchup bottles and yogurt and margarine tubs.
Advantage: Hazardous during production, but not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones. Not as widely recycled as #1 and #2.

6.     Polystyrene (PS)
Usage: Foam insulation and also for hard applications (e.g. cups, some toys)
Disadvantage: Benzene (material used in production) is a known human carcinogen. Butadiene and styrene (the basic building block of the plastic) are suspected carcinogens. Energy intensive and poor recycling.

7.     Other (usually polycarbonate)
Usage: Baby bottles, microwave ovenware, eating utensils, plastic coating for metal cans
Disadvantage: Made with biphenyl-A, a chemical invented in the 1930s in search for synthetic estrogens. A hormone disruptor. Simulates the action of estrogen when tested in human breast cancer studies. Can leach into food as product ages.

SIRIM-Approve Helmets

Reference: https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=151165941561384

For years, government has advised that motorcyclists must wear SIRIM-approved helmets. However, some stubborn motorcyclists still refuse to do so. The reason that they give is that SIRIM-approved helmets cost more. In my opinion, motorcyclists should not take the risk.

As we all know, helmets act as important role in protecting motorcyclists’ head when there is an accident. Each year, lots of motorcyclists dead due to the severe damage to head caused by accidents. SIRIM-approved helmets have gone through series of experiments and their qualities are definitely promised. SIRIM is the minimum requirement that a rider’s helmet have to be compliant to be wear in Malaysia start from 1st Jan 2009. Overall, there are three types of helmets that are available on the market.

Full-Face Helmet

Full-Face Helmet is a full-face helmet which provides total coverage to the front and rear of rider's head. An added benefit of the full-face design is built-in eye protection in the form of a visor/face shield.

Flip-up Helmet

Flip-up Helmets are helmet with hybrid design that offer the best of the full-face and three-quarter helmet worlds.

Open-Face Helmets 3/4 Helmet

The open-face three-quarter motorcycle helmet design delivers significant protection for riders who want to feel the wind in their face.

Conclusion:

Never buy a helmet without SIRIM logo as it might not be able to protect your head. Helmets without SIRIM logo do not undergo product checking and their safety and quality are not guaranteed. Lastly, bear in mind that motorcyclists who do not use SIRIM-Approve Helmets will be summoned. Instead of wasting your money to pay the summon, why don’t you just buy a SIRIM-Approve Helmet?

SIRIM

For more details, kindly visit http://www.sirim.my/

Here, I would like to introduce about SIRIM. As we all know, SIRIM is entrusted by the Malaysian Government to be the national organisation for standards and quality. SIRIM is a popular term that we always see everywhere. When we buy electrical instruments or helmets, we always look for the words “SIRIM”.

For years, the word “SIRIM” is just like a quality guarantee for the products. However, do we really know what does SIRIM stands for? What are the main functions of SIRIM? What is SIRIM actually?

SIRIM stands for Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM). Actually, SIRIM is:

(1) Recognized the world over as a global research and standards development organization

(2) One of the nine founding members of the Global Research Alliance (GRA), a cooperation of leading knowledge-intensive technology organization from nine countries in four continents, committed to developing global knowledge networks for industry and industrial sectors to enhance their competitiveness

(3) The secretariat of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Organizations (WAITRO), an independent association of industrial research organizations founded under the auspices of the United Nations, with 160 members in 80 countries.

SIRIM plays an important role in maintaining products safety and also their quality. Below are the functions of SIRIM:

§ To promote and undertake scientific industrial research

§ To boost industrial efficiency and development

§ To provide technology transfer and consultancy services

§ To develop Malaysian standards and to promote standardization and quality assurance for greater competitiveness

§ To enhance public and industrial welfare, health and safety