PFAS is a collective name for over 4,700 chemicals that have in common that they are very difficult to break down. If you ingest too high levels of the chemicals, it is harmful to your health – and can lead to a weakened immune system, liver damage and cancer.
In 2021, PFAS was discovered in plant-based straws in the United States, a finding that led a group of researchers at the University of Antwerp to begin investigating the matter. Something among other things Illustrated Science have reported on.
As a basis for their study, the researchers bought straws of 39 different brands in five different materials to investigate whether the straws contained 29 different PFAS substances.
Paper the worst
The various substances examined were plastic, glass, stainless steel, bamboo and paper – and the results worry the researchers.
As many as 69 percent of the straws, which were bought from fast food chains and grocery stores in Belgium, were found to contain PFAS. The worst was the paper straws where the chemical substances were found in 90 percent of the cases, although the researchers point out that these are low levels that only pose a limited risk to human health.
– Although small amounts of PFAS are not harmful to the body in themselves, they can increase the chemical load that already exists in the body, says Doctor Thimo Groffen, who is one of the researchers, in a press release.
– Straws made from plant-based materials, such as paper and bamboo, are often advertised as more durable and environmentally friendly than those made from plastic. But the presence of PFAS in these straws means that is not necessarily true, he continues.
0 percent in steel pipes
It is unclear if PFAS has been added to the straws or if it is a result of contamination. The researchers have also not determined whether the chemicals leak into the liquid in the straws or not.
In the bamboo pipes, PFAS was found in 80 percent of the cases, in the plastic pipes the figure was 75 percent and in the glass pipes in 40 percent of the cases. It was only in the steel pipes that the researchers found no traces of PFAS.