The popularity of alternative-material for food contact has increased among restaurants and brand owners who seek a replacement for plastic due to the banning policies.
Based on the available market supply, the University of Antwerp decided to analyze paper straws, glass straws, bamboo straws, stainless steel straws, and plastic straws for 29 different PFAS (a group of synthetic pollutants that are known to be potentially harmful to the environment, humans, and life in general).
The results showed that PFAS were found to be present in almost all types of straws, but primarily in those made from plant-based materials:
After these results one would ask, how PFAS contaminated the straws ?
It remains unclear which portion of the total PFAS concentration in plant-based food contact materials is part of the water repellency and which portion is background concentration from recycling or soil contamination.
Also, the presence of PFAS in some glass straws might be due to adsorption to silica minerals.
The main conclusions of this study are that plant-based straws marketed as eco-friendly alternatives are not more sustainable for the planet than plastics, because they may contribute to the current prominent PFAS pollution issues.
The most sustainable material seems to be stainless-steel straws, which:
Check the scientific article here
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