From Chemical and Engineering News:
As consumers turn to alternatives to single-use plastic, drinking straws made of plant-based materials like paper are coming into wider use, and many are marketed as biodegradable or even compostable. But an analysis of drinking straws available in the US detected 21 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—called “forever chemicals” for their extreme resistance to environmental breakdown—in 36 out of 38 brands of plant-based straws tested.
University of Florida toxicologist John Bowden was fascinated by the durability of today’s paper straws compared with older ones that would break down quickly in a drink, and he wanted to know whether the new straws’ water resistance might come from PFAS (Chemosphere 2021, DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130238). So he and his colleagues tested them, as well as plant-based straws made of materials including poly(lactic acid), rice flour, and reeds. They extracted PFAS from the straws with methanol and measured PFAS levels in the extracts.
IF you haven't heard of PFAS yet, you will.
There is huge push now for remediation from water supplies and cleaning of where the PFAS
originate. There are also class action lawsuits in the works for those that may have been affected.
Other info regarding PFAS...
People are so lazy. Why wouldn't the average person bring his own straw with him? Make all future production of straws illegal. If you are lucky and have a couple boxes of plastic straws it'll be a gold mine in the future. 20$ for single plastic straw! Guard that straw with your life! lol, sarcasm.
ReplyDeleteOnce again the government fix makes it worst.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have heard of PFAS.
ReplyDeleteIt's the latest environmental scare - following in the footsteps of PCBs, dioxins and freon. Not to mention carbon dioxide.
Disclaimer- I'm over 60 years old, and an environmental chemist. We've been down this road before.
Roger , would you please expand on your comment? Either here or send me an email. The addy is on the side bar. Thanks,
DeleteIrish
Oh, Lordy- this will take some time.
DeleteKeep in mind I'll mostly use my experience, not hard data from the interwebs.
PCBs are polychlorinated biphenyls, stable and useful in situations involving high temperatures or pressures. Think oil in transformers.
In the early 1990s it was thought PCBs were highly toxic, based on that some people in Japan got ill after eating PCB-contaminated food. Turns out the PCB oil in question was used, resulting in breakdown into furans and dioxins, which will make you sick. Anyway, we were all gonna die from PCBs.
Dioxin
Yes, toxic and tough to break down in the environment. Again, it's gonna kill everyone.
Turns out not so much. The small amounts in the environment isn't enough to hurt you. My understanding is that dioxin is prevalent in the food chain.
Freon
Depletes the ozone layer. Somehow the several-times-denser-than-air gets all the way up to the stratosphere. I have never seen a reasonable explanation. Anyway, we were all gonna die from skin cancer.
Carbon dioxide
Naturally occurring compound, required for the planet's biosphere to function. Increasing levels result in a greener world. Every computer model showing increasing temperatures from higher levels of carbon dioxide cannot replicate the real world, but we're all gonna die from climate change. Unless we give a metric ass-ton of money to the government.
Don't get me wrong, PCBs, dioxins, freon can be a problem.
30 years ago, I was put in the hospital by inhaling small amounts of freon vapor. Turns out the electrical system in my heart is sensitive to the stuff.
My point is the first thing the panic mongers scream is - We're all gonna die!
Yet we're still here.
PFAS are a bit of a problem, but not life-ending as the media would have you believe - unless you're using the drinking straws in question.
We should care about the environment, not willy-nilly polluting it. However, keep in mind the biosphere is a very large system. It can correct itself given time.
Top o' the mornin' to you Roger. Thank's for the response. I do agree they have been yelling "The Sky is Falling" only to take our money through taxation. The ozone hole, it's been awhile since we heard about that. CO2, who wouldn't want a greener planet, more food. I have only recently been introduced to the PFAS concerns so it will be interesting to see what becomes of it going forward. Thanks again.
DeleteAmen, Roger. Thank you for the history lesson. I was still wondering about a couple of those so called pollutants... shows you just how well the media brainwashing works...
DeleteI suggest not using straws at all. I never ask for them. I've set that example for my kids since forever. There's no logic in thinking straws make drinking beverages any safer or cleaner. I think they're a sales gimmick, like toys in kids meals.
'nother chemist here. Endorsed! Biggest issue with PFAS is that they're detectable to stupid low levels (ppt easily). Company that made 'em surveilled the plant workers for life; lots of blather but no real proven harm to humans despite that- the total amount accumulated amounted to a few milligrams over 70 years, which even with infinite accumulation is debatable insofar as potential toxicity goes. But, yes, they are everywhere (airfield fire foam, for example, plus non-stick/nonstain everything). So, panic city.
DeleteBTW: best use? Termiticide (sulfluramid). Stuff is just hell on anty-type bugs. Now, given that non human/non mammalian tox, plus persistance, plus some known microbial degradation pathways, is it smart to limit or eliminate this one? Yeah, case can be made. But the OMG We're Gonna Die stuff is just silly.
Pretty sure this is in NON-STICK fry pans?
ReplyDeleteI believe it is.
DeleteAnd I think "Scotch-Gard"
DeleteWhenever the Fed Gov gets involved about the only thing you can be certain of is the "solution" will be worse than the "problem".
ReplyDeleteThanks for that enlightenment Roger and Irish. Yes we are all gonna die but whats in the dash is all that matters. 1963 -
ReplyDeleteHeard a lot about PFAS around here the past few years...
ReplyDeletehttps://pfasproject.com/decatur-alabama/
Malthus was, to my knowledge, the first one to give any sort of study to the "Chicken Little" phenomenon. He was wrong, and his followers have been consistently wrong as Robert noted. I'm 67 and have lived through all of the "We're all gonna die!!! Eleventy!!!" scenarios since. Yes, something will get me someday, but that's true of everyone.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Robert_Malthus
Thanks Roger R.
ReplyDeleteOhio Guy
This was my first time commenting here, but I am a long-time lurker.
ReplyDeleteAs a general rule, I don't comment as my combination of snark/sarcasm doesn't play well with some without the tone of voice.
Getting old is not always a good thing, but life experiences can give one warning of certain scams.
I can't tell you the last time I used a straw, but it's too bad this wasn't the solution. I live on a home on the beach some months out of the year, and after any storm, when the rivers run, I can tell you we absolutely need a solution. Scary lot of plastic. When I first moved I would pick it up every day, but I gave up after the first big storm I saw. In the 1.4 miles of beach I have, and walk every day, normally I could pick up enough to fill a grocery bag, after a storm though, in just the 1.4 miles a garbage truck wouldn't be able to handle all of it. After a few days it's mostly gone, but not because anyone picks it up. People need to be throwing their garbage in the garbage.
ReplyDelete