[hristov]

This smells like astroturfing in favor of plastic. The fact that something contains "traces" of PFAS is not that much of a revelation. Unfortunately, thanks to tragically insufficient environmental regulation, PFAS have gotten everywhere nowadays, so most naturally sourced ingredients will contain traces of PFAS.

It is important to know how much PFAS they contain, whether those amounts are higher than the wood feedstock (i.e., are PFAS being added), whether the amounts are medically relevant, and whether the amounts are more than the alternative. (And lets not kid ourselves, stainless steel straws are not a viable alternative.)

[yyyk]

I'm not so sure this is the case regarding paper straws/cups. At least regarding paper cups, they do not involve paper alone but some addition of plastics (extra hardness and plasticity, avoiding water soaking). I suspect it's the same for straws as the same reasons apply. So this measurement is likely a result of production and not outside pollution.

[nerdponx]

Maybe they're not a complete replacement in all cases, but for getting an iced latte from the local coffee shop, the metal straws are just fine. There are also reusable plastic ones.