“Forever chemicals” found in paper straws but still regarded as the “right solution”

28 Aug 2023 --- Many brands in the foodservice industry have switched from plastic to paper straws in a push to reduce plastic waste in the environment. The replacement was often alongside the memento “save the turtles,” as approximately 1,000 sea turtles die from plastic ingestion each year, according to recycling database Earth 991.

But research peer-reviewed by the Taylor & Francis Group has revealed that 18 out of 20 brands of paper straws contained PFAS, which can cause health issues. Straws made from paper and bamboo were the most common to contain the chemicals, reported the study published in Food Additives and Contaminants. 

“The concentrations in the straws are rather low, so I would not expect direct harm from these straws for both the environment and human health. However, PFAS remains in our bodies and the environment for long periods. Any additional source, no matter how small, would increase the concentrations in our systems,” Thimo Groffen, an environmental scientist at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and author of the study, tells Packaging Insights.

“I still think that, in terms of ecological risks, plastic straws are more harmful than paper straws since they degrade into microplastics, which can cause severe effects on their own. [However,] the presence of PFAS makes many of these alternatives to plastics not eco-friendly, and they are less sustainable than many people think.”

Finding PFAS
A growing number of countries, including the UK and Belgium, have banned the sale of single-use plastic products, including drinking straws and plant-based versions have become popular alternatives.

Steel straws were found to be PFAS-free.The research team purchased 39 different brands of drinking straws made from five materials – paper, bamboo, glass, stainless steel and plastic. The straws were mainly obtained from shops, supermarkets and fast-food restaurants, and underwent two rounds of testing for PFAS.

Sixty-nine percent of brands’ straws contained PFAS, with 80% of bamboo straws, 75% of the plastic straw brands and 40% of brands of glass straws. They were not found in any of the five types of steel straws tested.

Groffen says the right solution for the foodservice industry is still to use paper straws, but there might be better options.

“Based on our findings, the stainless steel straws seemed to be PFAS-free – or at least free of the 29 PFAS we investigated in our study. Although it may be difficult to implement in all sectors (restaurants, for instance) because of hygiene and costs, it could be a useful solution for people and children who frequently use straws.”

“Another solution would be to use (in case the chemicals are intentionally added to make the straws water repellent) other durable water repellents. Of course, these alternatives to PFAS also have to be tested regarding safety and toxicity,” continues Groffen.

It isn’t known whether the PFAS were added to the straws by the manufacturers for waterproofing or whether they resulted from contamination. Potential contamination sources include the soil in which the plant-based materials were grown and the water used in the manufacturing process.

The presence of the chemicals in almost every brand of paper straw means it is likely that it was, in some cases, being used as a water-repellent coating, say the researchers. Paper straws that contain “forever chemicals” may not be as environmentally sustainable as consumers believe.

“Some products, including food packaging, already contain no intentionally added PFAS but use other durable water repellents. If PFAS are unintentionally added, industries should try to identify the sources of these PFAS to try and overcome these issues,” explains Groffen.

Chemical harms
PFAS breaks down very slowly over time and can persist over thousands of years in the environment, a property that has led to them being known as “forever chemicals.”

The most commonly found PFAS was perfluorooctanoic acid, banned globally since 2020. The researchers also detected trifluoroacetic acid and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid. These chemicals are PFAS that are highly water soluble and might leak out of straws into drinks.

The PFAS concentrations were low and, bearing in mind that most people tend only to use straws occasionally, pose a limited risk to human health, the researchers assert.

“Humans and the environment are exposed through various ways to PFAS, and eventually, all these different exposure routes may result in large enough concentrations in our bodies, or the environment, that will cause harmful effects. It is thus important to identify all these potential sources to reduce human and environmental exposure,” adds Groffen.

PFAS are associated with several health problems, including lower response to vaccines, lower birth weight, thyroid disease, increased cholesterol levels, liver damage and kidney and testicular cancer.

By Sabine Waldeck