There are two ways to make disposable chopsticks. The solid-state chopsticks are made by sulfur fumigation and bleaching. The sulfur dioxide of chopsticks bleached by sulfur gas will exceed the standard seriously. One of the characteristics of sulfur dioxide is that it solidifies when cooled.
Therefore, when people eat with these chopsticks, sulfur dioxide can easily coagulate into the respiratory tract with the flow of air, and respiratory diseases such as cough and asthma will follow.
In addition, sulphur contains heavy metals such as lead and mercury.
Heavy metals can be accumulated in the human body and lead poisoning or mercury poisoning can be caused by long-term accumulation.
Chopsticks are processed in liquid form by bleaching with chlorine or hydrogen peroxide, especially chlorine, which not only causes gallstones in the body, but also contains dioxins that once made people talk about discoloration.
As for bamboo chopsticks, in order to remove the burrs of chopsticks and make them look smooth and white, the producers put them into talc powder and process the chopsticks by rubbing, but talc powder can easily increase the risk of gallstones in human body.
Although disposable chopsticks produced by irregular manufacturers are harmful, so far, there is no specific hygienic inspection standard for disposable chopsticks in China.
Sulphur fumigation is the main method of chopsticks with pungent taste. This disposable chopsticks will retain a large amount of sulfur dioxide. Sulphur dioxide (chemical formula: SO2) is the most common sulfur oxide.
A colorless gas with a strong irritating odor.
Industry insiders said that disposable chopsticks need to be bleached after making. The chemical raw materials used are usually one of calcium hypochlorite, sulfur dioxide or hydrogen peroxide. The longer the bleaching time is, the whiter the chopsticks will be.
After bleaching, the chopsticks need to be cooked or rinsed with water to remove chemical residues.
In order to save water, some small manufacturers often do not boil or rinse bleached chopsticks enough, or even omit the process.
In this way, the residual chemicals combine to form sulfite and give off a pungent odor.
Sulfite is a major cause of asthma.