Disposable chopsticks are raising health concerns after Chinese actor Huang Bo posted a picture of a pair soaked in water on his microblog.
"Within several minutes, the clean water turns into a dark yellow mixture, releasing a pungent smell," Huang wrote.
The post was widely forwarded and discussed, with many people expressing concern about the quality of disposable chopsticks and throwaway containers.
"The money-greedy businessmen are making crazy bucks at the expense of our health. It is so sad!" was one comment.
Many questioned the government's ability to supervise companies that produce such items, while others expressed worry about the environmental impact.
Mo Chuangrong, a professor with the school of environment of Guangxi University in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said the odor exuded by the chopsticks may indicate they had been whitened using sulfur.
Government regulations state that disposable chopsticks made of green bamboo may be whitened through the use of sulfur, but the amount of sulfur dioxide remaining in the chopsticks should not exceed 600 milligrams per kilogram.
Wooden chopsticks, on the other hand, may not be whitened using sulfur.
The World Health Organization recommends a daily sulfur intake of no greater than 0.7 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Long-term exposure to high amounts of sulfur dioxide can lead to health problems, especially of the respiratory system, experts say.
Low standards and huge profits have led to the rampant use of uncertified disposable chopsticks, Mo said.
Last month, meanwhile, the National Development and Reform Commission decided to end a 14-year ban on disposable food containers made from polystyrene.
Referred to as "white pollution" by some, such items, once thrown away, take a long time to decompose and can therefore pose a threat to the environment.
The ban is being lifted with effect from May 1.
"Won't it be dangerous to our health if we use lots of plastic-foam lunchboxes?" was one online comment.
"There was actually a ban? But I see the boxes every day!" was another.
According to the China Plastics Processing Industry Association website, polystyrene items are non-toxic and there is no solid evidence they are carcinogenic.
But Chen Xingle, chief physician at the Guangxi Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said some disposable tableware contained plasticizers and can pose health risks.
He said that if the containers were heated in microwave ovens or used to hold food containing oil, they might release toxic substances.
He said polystyrene items "take up a lot of natural resources," as the production process required large amounts of oil.
Chen said that once the ban is lifted, strict restrictions should be imposed, suggesting manufacturers follow national standards when making the products.
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