# How bad would it be to eat mealworms that you have fed styrofoam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 2, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-would-it-be-to-eat-mealworms-that-you-have-fed-styrofoam/792625 "2017-08-02T14:08:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-would-it-be-to-eat-mealworms-that-you-have-fed-styrofoam/792625/1 "2017-08-02T14:08:00Z")
I’m interested in growing mealworms by feeding them styrofoam and some potatoes for moisture. From what I understand, mealworms will happily consume [styrofoam](http://www.popsci.com/mealworms-can-safely-devour-plastics). Styrofoam has always been a bug up my ass due to the ubiquitous nature of it in packaging and the fact that it doesn’t really decompose much and is not recycled. I remember reading about a process to recycle styrofoam using [orange skin oil](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1hi6M7ek-E). Sadly enough, for what ever reason, this recycling process has not taken off, probably because of transportation costs. I’d think it would be cost effective in a large metropolitan area, just because of the huge cost of landfill space. So, once I grow these mealworms, and want to eat them, would the byproducts of the styrofoam in the mealworms be deleterious to me? I assume if you harvest them immediately, there would be undigested particles of styrofoam in them. Would this be bad for my health? Assuming I wanted to clear the mealworms of styrofoam particles, how long would it take to clear the mealworms if I put them on a bran diet? I look at this like the same process of cleaning escargot by feeding them cornmeal for a couple days. I’d actually try to do this using waxworms, the larger brethren of mealworms. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-would-it-be-to-eat-mealworms-that-you-have-fed-styrofoam/792625/2 "2017-08-02T15:10:29Z")
Styrofoam is not poisonous to humans. It would just be undigested if any of the stuff was in the worms’ stomachs. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-would-it-be-to-eat-mealworms-that-you-have-fed-styrofoam/792625/3 "2017-08-02T15:39:29Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > Styrofoam is not poisonous to humans. It would just be undigested if any of the stuff was in the worms’ stomachs. Hmmmm, yes. But the question is what are the breakdown products after the mealworm’s intestinal bacteria have done their jobs? I suppose you could just analyze the mealworm feces to find out. Or there might be by-products in the mealworm bloodstream that don’t affect them but would affect us? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-would-it-be-to-eat-mealworms-that-you-have-fed-styrofoam/792625/4 "2017-08-02T15:58:35Z")
I wouldn’t have thought the insects would be digesting the plastic at all - just chewing it into small pieces. That in itself could be an issue, even if it’s the only process happening. Macroscopic pieces of plastic are pretty inert in the human digestive system, but teeny-tiny pieces of plastic are suspected of being potentially harmful (I think some of them can mimic hormones, for example) > **[Microplastics | Biological integration into organisms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microplastics#Biological_integration_into_organisms)** > > Microplastics can become embedded in animals' tissue through ingestion or respiration. Various annelid species, such as deposit-feeding lugworms (Arenicola marina), have been shown to have microplastics embedded in their gastrointestinal tracts. Many crustaceans, like the shore crab Carcinus maenas, have been seen to integrate microplastics into both their respiratory and digestive tracts. Plastic particles are often mistaken by fish for food which can block their digestive tracts s Some coral su... ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-would-it-be-to-eat-mealworms-that-you-have-fed-styrofoam/792625/5 "2017-08-02T16:40:23Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I wouldn’t have thought the insects would be digesting the plastic at all - just chewing it into small pieces. Nope. The mealworms’ mutualistic gut bacteria actually break down polystyrene: > [@OP's original cite](#): > > In the first study researchers found that \*\*mealworms fed only Styrofoam were just as healthy as mealworms fed the more traditional \*\*meal (bran, in this case). Each worm could eat about a pill-sized portion every day. > > In the second study focused on the **mealworms’ gut microbes, which are able to break down the plastic safely**. The researchers were able to turn this bacteria into a film that they applied to polystyrene, a form of the same plastic used to make Styrofoam. The bacteria were also able to eat through polystyrene, but at a much slower rate than the mealworms. Emphases mine. The gut flora appears to be digesting polystyrene into usable nutrients for both their own use and for their host (the worm). Furthermore, it appears that their castings (poop) is [also good compost](https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/0930/Could-mealworms-solve-our-plastic-problem): > [@Christian Science Monitor](#): > > After a month, the Styrofoam-fed mealworms were as healthy as those eating the bran flake diet, said Dr. Wu, and **their waste appeared to be safe to use as compost for crops.** So, we have micro livestock (the worms), compost, and digested Styrofoam which is otherwise eternal and damn near indestructible. This is amazing. I hope the process gets commercialized, or goes large-scale otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Ornery\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/da6949/32.png) [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-would-it-be-to-eat-mealworms-that-you-have-fed-styrofoam/792625/6 "2017-08-02T16:47:59Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I wouldn’t have thought the insects would be digesting the plastic at all - just chewing it into small pieces. You’d be wrong to think that. The linked article explains how the bacteria in the mealworm guts depolymerizes the polystyrene. They really are digesting it. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-would-it-be-to-eat-mealworms-that-you-have-fed-styrofoam/792625/7 "2017-08-02T18:57:35Z")
Well, I’m amazed, but there it is. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-would-it-be-to-eat-mealworms-that-you-have-fed-styrofoam/792625/8 "2017-08-02T19:24:51Z")
Thanks for the answers. I’ll let you know how the cheetos flavored deep fried mealworms taste. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-would-it-be-to-eat-mealworms-that-you-have-fed-styrofoam/792625/9 "2017-08-02T20:08:36Z")
The bacteria in the mealworms break down the polystyrene, but I would want to know what exactly it breaks down into. Also if it were me doing the eating, I’d feed the worms to chickens and eat the eggs and/or the chickens. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-would-it-be-to-eat-mealworms-that-you-have-fed-styrofoam/792625/10 "2017-08-02T20:14:52Z")
Are we talking about non-GMO styrofoam? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-would-it-be-to-eat-mealworms-that-you-have-fed-styrofoam/792625/11 "2017-08-02T20:28:12Z")
Actually, styrofoam can be recycled – at least that’s the case in my area. (Personally, I’d be more concerned about eating worms) ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-would-it-be-to-eat-mealworms-that-you-have-fed-styrofoam/792625/12 "2017-08-02T20:35:19Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Are we talking about non-GMO styrofoam? 😃