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90% of “eco-friendly” paper straws contain traces of toxic forever chemicals

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Re: 90% of “eco-friendly” paper straws contain traces of toxic forever chemicals

#41

Post by throwaway290 »

VancouverMan wrote: post #35
moron4hire wrote: post #17

Why does every drink need a straw, anyway?

Many of the drinks that would come with such straws are consumed in moving vehicles. In such an environment, sipping from a straw tends to work significantly better than drinking from the rim of a tilted, open-topped cup. While smaller drinks might use a lid with a small gap in it, that just isn't a practical option for larger drinks.

Local shop near me sells very large drinks with very secure thick lids with two holes (bigger pluggable hole to drink from and super tiny to let the air in). Sadly it's all plastic too of course.

(edited to remove claim that straw is no better than secure lid with a small hole, it could be a little better)

Re: 90% of “eco-friendly” paper straws contain traces of toxic forever chemicals

#42

Post by hinkley »

bsuvc wrote: post #26

I'm sure someone probably feels strongly about this, but I will ask anyway: Do we as a society even need straws? I never use a straw at home. The only time I would consider wanting one would be for a milkshake maybe, due to its thickness making it hard to sip otherwise. I am not anti-straw, just think it is sort of a weird thing for our society to use when I stop to think about it.

In theory it can reduce tooth decay. In practice it only does so when drinking high sugar, high acid beverages, and if memory serves drinking a glass of water afterward is about as effective.

Re: 90% of “eco-friendly” paper straws contain traces of toxic forever chemicals

#43

Post by bsuvc »

guerrilla wrote: post #32
bsuvc wrote: post #26

I'm sure someone probably feels strongly about this, but I will ask anyway: Do we as a society even need straws? I never use a straw at home. The only time I would consider wanting one would be for a milkshake maybe, due to its thickness making it hard to sip otherwise. I am not anti-straw, just think it is sort of a weird thing for our society to use when I stop to think about it.

Yes, many disabled people need straws. Specifically soft ones, if they have movement disorders.

Great point.

Now that you mention it, I did work with a person who had a condition that extremely affected his ability to move and yes, straw usage was essential for him.

Re: 90% of “eco-friendly” paper straws contain traces of toxic forever chemicals

#44

Post by bilsbie »

bsuvc wrote: post #26

I'm sure someone probably feels strongly about this, but I will ask anyway: Do we as a society even need straws? I never use a straw at home. The only time I would consider wanting one would be for a milkshake maybe, due to its thickness making it hard to sip otherwise. I am not anti-straw, just think it is sort of a weird thing for our society to use when I stop to think about it.

They’re important when drinks have lids.

Re: 90% of “eco-friendly” paper straws contain traces of toxic forever chemicals

#46

Post by sixstringtheory »

LeoPanthera wrote: post #34
bsuvc wrote: post #26

I'm sure someone probably feels strongly about this, but I will ask anyway: Do we as a society even need straws? I never use a straw at home. The only time I would consider wanting one would be for a milkshake maybe, due to its thickness making it hard to sip otherwise. I am not anti-straw, just think it is sort of a weird thing for our society to use when I stop to think about it.

When drinking particularly acid drinks, juice, soda, etc., a straw significantly reduces the amount of erosion of your teeth.

I question if it actually does make a difference, and in any case, we should kill two birds with one stone and just not drink unhealthy drinks.

“It’s so simple!” -Jim Gaffigan

“Stop it!” -Bob Newhart

Re: 90% of “eco-friendly” paper straws contain traces of toxic forever chemicals

#47

Post by [deleted] »

kragen wrote: post #31
bsuvc wrote: post #26

I'm sure someone probably feels strongly about this, but I will ask anyway: Do we as a society even need straws? I never use a straw at home. The only time I would consider wanting one would be for a milkshake maybe, due to its thickness making it hard to sip otherwise. I am not anti-straw, just think it is sort of a weird thing for our society to use when I stop to think about it.

mostly they're important for people who are disabled with neurological issues or immune deficiency

[deleted]

Re: 90% of “eco-friendly” paper straws contain traces of toxic forever chemicals

#48

Post by hirsin »

PeterisP wrote: post #29
c4mpute wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stainless steel is expensive, roughly a factor of 10 compared to plain steel. The reason is that Chromium is expensive. You can use low-chromium not-so-stainless steel if you then coat it with transparent paint containing among other things, PFAS, and save a ton of money on the material. Edit: the prototypical stainless steel is Cr/Ni 18/10 with 18% chromium and 10% nickel, aka V2A or 1.4301

Straws require ridiculously small amounts of raw materials though, if you choose a material that increases the steel price by $1000/ton, then that adds a single extra cent to the costs of a 10g metal straw which then retails for a dollar a piece.

So you're saying you can cut it out and increase profit by a percentage point? That's pretty huge.

I recall finance going ballistic on my division at one point because our profit margin dropped by a tenth of a percentage point (and yet was still well above fifty)

Re: 90% of “eco-friendly” paper straws contain traces of toxic forever chemicals

#49

Post by newsclues »

bsuvc wrote: post #26

I'm sure someone probably feels strongly about this, but I will ask anyway: Do we as a society even need straws? I never use a straw at home. The only time I would consider wanting one would be for a milkshake maybe, due to its thickness making it hard to sip otherwise. I am not anti-straw, just think it is sort of a weird thing for our society to use when I stop to think about it.

Control flow liquid and avoid spills with moving the glass.

Very useful for children, old people and those with special needs.

But also useful for things like sensitive teeth, avoiding consuming heavy solids in a drink, or to spit balls of tissue at teachers.

Good for on the go consumption as they can move, and you can avoid hitting your mouth with a cup.

Re: 90% of “eco-friendly” paper straws contain traces of toxic forever chemicals

#50

Post by jayd16 »

bilsbie wrote: post #44
bsuvc wrote: post #26

I'm sure someone probably feels strongly about this, but I will ask anyway: Do we as a society even need straws? I never use a straw at home. The only time I would consider wanting one would be for a milkshake maybe, due to its thickness making it hard to sip otherwise. I am not anti-straw, just think it is sort of a weird thing for our society to use when I stop to think about it.

They’re important when drinks have lids.

Are they? Lids can have spouts.
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