Consume forever chemicals
(pomf2.lain.la)
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according to the new research paper, this is a total “strawman argument” — as these alleged environment-saving slushie siphons are potentially packed with more PFAS than the “evil” plastic version.
To deduce this a-straw-calyptic theory, researchers analyzed the PFA concentrations of 39 brands of drinking straws, which were comprised of five materials: paper, bamboo, glass, stainless steel, and plastic.
They found that **paper straws were the most PFA-filled with a whopping 90% of paper straws containing the chemicals**.
Meanwhile, bamboo straws — another highly touted green alternative — clocked in second with 80%, followed by 75% of plastic straws, 40% of glass straws, and **none in steel straws**.
By far the most prevalent PFA was perfluorooctanoic acid, which has been been banned globally since 2020. However, this substance is still manufactured in some countries and could be present in products bought by US consumers.
Also present were trifluoroacetic acid and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, PFAS which easily dissolve in water, meaning they could potentially leach out of straws into beverages.
“The presence of PFAS in paper and bamboo straws shows they are not necessarily biodegradable,” warned Groffen.
Not to mention that some of these so-called “100% recyclable” straws are actually anything but.
It’s unclear how these substances — which have been used since the 1940s to repel water and grease in everything from cookware to carpets — ended up in the straws, although the presence of them in every brand suggests they were added on purpose as a liquid repellant.
Other potential PFA sources could be the soil the plant-based materials were grown in as well as the water used in their manufacturing, per Phys.org.