# Paper straws could be doing more harm than good, study suggests

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/paper-straws-could-be-doing-more-harm-than-good-study-suggests/
- Published: 2026-10-31T21:11:36+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-31T23:26:07+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Far right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/health/paper-straws-could-doing-more-harm-than-good-study-suggests
- Topics: Asia, Government, Health, Medicine, Politics, Research, Science, World

## Key points

- Paper straws scored higher for pollution-related cancer harm.
- The assessment covered four straw types and 16 impact categories.
- It did not assess exposure from drinking through straws.

## Summary

A South Korean assessment suggests paper straws may have a higher pollution-related health burden than conventional plastic straws, challenging the assumption that they are always the greener choice. The findings matter because straw policies and consumer choices often favour paper alternatives, although the assessment does not show that drinking through paper straws causes cancer.

Researchers compared four kinds of disposable straws across 16 environmental impact categories, using South Korean waste figures that assumed 74% were incinerated and 26% sent to landfill. Paper straws scored 6.33 times higher than conventional plastic on an estimate of cancer-related harm from pollution across production and disposal; conventional plastic performed best in 10 categories, but no type led in all of them. The assessment did not measure chemicals leaching into drinks or health outcomes among straw users, and researchers reportedly recommended offering disposable straws only on request.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.