A study reveals the presence of PFAS in disposable straws

A scientific study has found traces of these chemicals in "almost all brands of paper, plastic, and bamboo straws." They accumulate in our body and also in the environment, and the EU considers them an "emerging risk"

As a result of the european ban to market items single use plastic, more sustainable alternatives to products such as straws or cutlery have begun to appear, now made of materials such as paper, cardboard or bamboo to reduce environmental impact. A new study by the University of Antwerp (Belgium), which has analyzed 39 models of straws available in the country, has concluded that these products contain chemical substances called PFAS that cause damage to the body and the environment.

As summarized in statements to SMC Spain Marieta Fernandez, co-investigator responsible for the group A15-Basic and Clinical Oncology from the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA) and professor at the University of Granada, most of the paper straws analyzed (90%) contained PFAS. PFAS were also detected in 80% of bamboo straws, 75% of plastic straws and 40% of glass straws.

What are PFAS and what are the risks?

PFAS: the "eternal chemicals" with negative effects on the body 

The  polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFAS) are a group of more than 4.700 man-made chemicals with a large number of commercial applications. The most common and studied are perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOA and PFOS, respectively).

Due to their chemical and physical properties, which include repelling water and oil, or withstanding high temperatures, these substances can be found in consumer products such as food wrappers or pans, personal care products such as shampoo or makeup, or household products. such as cleaners or paints. PFAS can be absorbed by oral, topical or respiratory route, as stated in the European Environment Agency (EEA).

The EEA, which in 2019 considered in a report To PFAS as an “emerging risk”, it refers to them as “persistent chemicals” because of the time it takes for them to be eliminated from the human body and from the environment. The same report points to exposure to these substances as a cause "with high certainty" of health problems such as reduced response to vaccines, low birth weight, thyroid disease, elevated cholesterol levels, testicular cancer, liver damage or cancer of the kidney.

Presence of PFAS in disposable paper straws: found in "almost all" the samples analyzed

The study from the University of Antwerp, entitled Evaluation of polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in commercially available drinking straws using screening and suspicion methods, has analyzed straws from 39 brands of different materials available on the Belgian market, finding PFAS in 27 of them. Of the 20 paper samples, PFAS was present in 18.

The study notes that drinking through one of these straws ingests "an as yet undetermined amount" of PFAS, which then enters the environment through degradation in landfills or incomplete incineration. The document concludes that straws “eco friendly” based on plant material do not necessarily constitute a sustainable alternative to plastic models, since they represent an “additional source” for exposure to PFAS, both from humans and from the natural environment.

What does the regulation say about these chemical compounds? 

According to European Food Safety Agency, the main source of human exposure to PFAS is the diet. As also indicated by the counterpart agency of Catalonia, food can be contaminated through soil and water used in growing or feeding animals, and also as a result of contact with packaging made in countries that still produce these substances, such as China.

Ane Urtiaga, professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Cantabria, works on the investigation of treatment technologies for water contaminated by PFAS. As the expert explained to Newtral.es, in Spain the main sources of water contamination by PFAS are industrial activities and leachate from landfills. Both surface water from industrialized environments and water produced by the decomposition of urban waste have a higher concentration of these substances.

In Europe, directive 2020/2184 of the European Parliament establishes the acceptable values ​​and measurements of these chemicals in water intended for human consumption. Also, the Regulation UE 2019/1021 on persistent organic pollutants prohibits the production, sale and use of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and its derivatives (PFOS).