203
90% of “eco-friendly” paper straws contain traces of toxic forever chemicals
(scienceswitch.com)
Hold glass. Tilt glass.
this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2023
203 points (97.7% liked)
Hacker News
4123 readers
1 users here now
This community serves to share top posts on Hacker News with the wider fediverse.
Rules
0. Keep it legal
- Keep it civil and SFW
- Keep it safe for members of marginalised groups
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
Ever try hydrating your kids in cars without a straw? I wouldn't even try that in my house.
I just use a water gun
Fill water gun with Milk.
I have a wife for that.
I genuinely don't understand the need for straws.
Thick milkshake
Wait 2 minutes.
But I like the thick globs of ice cream that barely come up the straw 😔
They're pretty handy when driving...
For bubble tea, and that's about it I think. And every bubble tea place I've been to recent has used those biodegradable agave straws.
Get hit by battalion of ice cubes to the face.
We switched to stainless steel straws at home years ago and they're great, no complaints. I've always hated paper straws, they get soggy and gross. Guess this is another reason to stop using them.
But I understand that using stainless in the food service industry wouldn't work. I would be checking inside the straws all the time cause you have to wash those things properly. Maybe they should just use pasta.
Just use glass straws?
There's also a bit of a safety factor with those. You can get bumped and a plastic straw won't break a tooth or stab through you as easily as a steel straw will if you were to fall. There was a case of a woman who had died form a steel straw going into her when she fell. Sure it wouldn't be a common thing, but those freak accidents stick in my mind.
I have some silicone straws instead, flexible, easy to wash, and also easy to carry in my silverware bag on the go if I need one while at work or such.
We drive in steel boxes going at 70 mph every day and (mostly) no one complains... It always confuses me when people are worried about freak accidents happening. It's much more likely a bridge collapses under you, you fall down the stairs, or something like that than dying because you used a metal straw.
I think risk assessment is important for all areas of our lives.
I'm required to drive to maintain my job and be able to shop. Bit different from a nice to have like a straw but since the comparison was made let's consider some things with that.
When driving my steel box at 70mph I'm wearing a seat belt, I know that my tires are in good shape, my vehicle has routine maintenance, and I drive defensively with caution. Minimizing risk as able.
A titanium or steel straw that can impale me if I trip while around the house or sipping a drink in a car for example or just get bumped and chip a tooth when there's better alternatives like the silicone straws doesn't make sense to me to use steel or titanium straws when assessing risk between the two.
I agree with everything you said, but also that it take a very freak accident to kill someone while they're drinking from a metal straw. Do whatever you prefer, but I think if the feel/taste/whatever of a metal straw has someone choose that instead, they shouldn't worry about the tiny chance it has to kill them. Probably what chair you choose to sit in has more risk involved than the straw you drink from.
As a person with celiac - no thank you.
My dad has celiac. There is a such a thing as gluten free pasta you know.
Would it matter in that case because, you're not actually eating the straw. I mean presumably you can hold raw pasta it's only if you ingest it that's a problem.
PFAs have been in the world's water for decades now, so probably anything made with water contains them?
The issue isn't straws, it's that THE WATER IS FUCKING FUCKED
PFAs are detected in 97% of human Americans: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc/index.cfm:
What about non-human Americans? Are my pets okay?
Paper didn't cover that. Supposition: no
Why can't people just make pasta and rice straws? They're cheap and they don't suck
Lol accusing a straw of not sucking
I'd literally rather have no straw than a paper straw. They're useless for small children too... Mushed up in seconds.
Color me shocked😝