Paper Straws Are Toxic

While technically true, the title feels like a clickbait headline to me. It is both overly broad "toxic" but at the same time highly specific "paper" while the reality is much more complex.

This bit from the article does cover it better.

> After analyzing 39 brands of straws made of various materials such as plastic, paper, glass, stainless steel, and bamboo, the team found that paper straws contain the most perfluoroalkylated and polyfluoroalkylated substances, also known as PFAS. These synthetic substances are considered harmful to humans, animals, and the environment.

But if you go to the abstract: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19440049.2023.2...

> PFAS were found to be present in almost all types of straws, except for those made of stainless steel. PFAS were more frequently detected in plant-based materials, such as paper and bamboo.

I can't access the full paper, but this makes me wonder how much of a difference there is compared to plastic straws. If there is a difference, but it is effectively meaningless, I'd argue that paper or other organic straws are still the better alternative. If it is a significant difference, I do agree there is cause for concern.