Paper & Bamboo Drinking Straws

Plastic-free straws marketed as the eco option.

55Moderate burden · out of 100

Cleaner swapStainless-steel or glass straws, or simply no straw

How this score is built

100Start
86.2Chemical hazard 3 × 4.6−13.8
76Everyday exposure 3 × 3.4−10.2
55Persistence 8 × 2.6−20.8, then rounded to 55
ModerateThe band55 sits in 40–59.

What each input rests on

The three ratings behind the score, and the studies each rests on
Input	Rating	Evidence
Chemical hazard	3/10	Multiple studies link PFAS exposure to adverse immune outcomes in children, and dyslipidemia is the strongest metabolic outcome; cancer evidence is limited to manufacturing locations with extremely high exposures. A review of the pathways of human exposure to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and present understanding of health effects · J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2019 DOI 10.1038/s41370-018-0094-1 · PMID 30470793 · Abstract · read 2026-10-05
Everyday exposure	3/10	In 39 brands of straws sold in Belgium, PFAS were found in almost every material except stainless steel, and were detected more often in paper and bamboo straws. Assessment of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in commercially available drinking straws using targeted and suspect screening approaches · Food Addit Contam Part A Chem Anal Control Expo Risk Assess 2023 DOI 10.1080/19440049.2023.2240908 · PMID 37619405 · Abstract · read 2026-10-05
Persistence	8/10	unsourced input Searched 2026-10-05: The straw study's abstract does not name which PFAS it found, and the human half-life studies found cover only long-chain PFAS, so none is cited.

Ratings are editorial. A study listed here supports the rating; it did not compute it. How the index is built

What this means for you

A Belgian survey published in Food Additives & Contaminants detected PFAS in the majority of paper and bamboo straws tested — often at higher rates than in plastic ones, because the coating that makes them water-resistant is itself fluorinated. Reusable metal or glass avoids the coating question entirely.

Evidence strength: moderate

See where your whole exposure load is highest — free Exposure Score →

This entry and the whole Index, on your phone.

Lower-exposure choices

Glass Food StorageMinimal · Plastics

All 14 plastics entries, highest burden first →