Do you mean that it’s not a good idea to throw out proven products and replace them with hysterical, “green” solutions without any scientific backing? This is the story that has been told after it was revealed recently that most paper straws, and their bamboo substitutes, contain toxic chemicals called “forever chemicals.”
A study conducted in Belgium revealed that four out of five bamboo and 18 of 20 paper straws contained PFAS. The chemicals are called “forever” chemicals because they linger in the environment “almost forever”, from the soil up to the water supply.
Researchers have discovered that some paper and bamboo straws may contain “forever chemicals”, which could make them less than ideal alternatives to plastic.
Scientists in Belgium tested dozens of straws found in supermarkets, fast-food outlets, and retail stores in the country and found the majority to contain PFAS – a synthetic chemical family used in consumer products due to their ability to resist stains and grease.
How toxic are these chemicals, exactly? Researchers have linked them to everything from cancer risk to low birth weight.
Researchers are not sure what levels of exposure to PFAS are harmful. They are also still learning about the health risks.
Scientists not knowing the levels of exposure that are harmful should not give anyone any comfort. Those are the types of things that need to be worked out prior to putting a new product on the market, like paper straws were in the past few years, mainly at the request of Democrat politicians.
This is made even more absurd by the fact that many jurisdictions have banned plastic straws for no reason. Plastic straws are a tiny part of the plastics used in other products. The sudden rush to ban plastic straws was based on an eight-year-old’s study.
But the “green” movement has become hysterical. This latest situation is very similar to that of the ban on plastic grocery bags. Not long after the bans were popularized, it was discovered that paper bags and even reusable ones cause more damage to the environment than plastic bags. As we previously reported, reusable plastic bags are also unsanitary and can spread disease (because they’re not washed).
The best of intentions can often have the worst outcomes. The leftists in the United States refuse to learn this lesson. We are left to suffer under these ridiculous mandates until science tells us the truth. Plastic straws were bad even before news of their toxins was released. Who wants to drink a soda and taste paper?
