Canada has legislated the mandatory adoption of paper straws just in time for new evidence to emerge that the new straws may be just as unsustainable as their plastic predecessors. A new study published in the journal Food Additives and Contaminants examined more than 20 different brands of plant-based straws and found high levels of toxic chemicals in almost all of them. “These ‘eco-friendly’ plant-based straws are not necessarily a more sustainable alternative to plastic straws,” concluded a research team based at Belgium’s University of Antwerp. Straws examined by the researchers were largely found to be laden with per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as “forever chemicals.” …The University of Antwerp team performed chemical analysis on 39 different types of straws sourced from Belgian supermarkets and fast food outlets: 20 paper, five glass, five bamboo, five stainless steel, and four plastic. Only the stainless-steel straws were found to be completely PFAS-free.