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Paper straws have been marketed as a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic, but a new South Korean assessment suggests they may carry a greater pollution-related health burden.
South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment commissioned the assessment from the Korean Society for Life Cycle Assessment, according to news reports.
Researchers compared how paper, plastic and other disposable straws could affect human health and the environment, from production through disposal.
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Paper straws scored 6.33 times as high as conventional plastic straws in an estimate of cancer-related harm from pollution generated during production and disposal, according to South Korean reports.
The score estimates potential harm from pollution generated from production through disposal — not chemical exposure or cancer risk from drinking through a straw, the researchers noted.
The assessment compared how paper, plastic and other disposable straws could affect human health and the environment, from production through disposal. (iStock)
The assessment reportedly compared four straw types: paper, conventional plastic, biodegradable plastic and bio-based polyethylene, or bio-PE.
Researchers assessed 16 environmental impacts, assuming about 74% of discarded straws were incinerated and 26% went to landfills, based on South Korean waste statistics.
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Conventional plastic straws performed best in 10 of the 16 environmental categories, but no straw type came out ahead in every category.
The study did not measure whether chemicals leach from straws into drinks and did not assess health outcomes among people who use them.
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Researchers recommended that stores provide disposable straws only upon request, according to The Korea Herald.
Paper straws scored higher than conventional plastic straws on one modeled measure related to cancer-causing effects, according to reports. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Lawmaker Kim Wi-sang, whose office received the report, later criticized plastic straw restrictions, arguing that alternatives had failed to deliver their promised environmental benefits.
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President Donald Trump has also criticized paper straws, calling them ineffective and arguing that they may pose health risks.
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In February 2025, he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to stop buying and providing paper straws and to develop a national strategy to end their use, according to a White House press release.
“I was tired of having straws melt in my mouth,” Trump previously said.
The study’s findings do not prove that drinking through a paper straw increases a person’s cancer risk. (iStock)
Fox News Digital previously reported on health concerns raised by Florida lawmakers, including a 2023 University of Antwerp study that detected PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” in 27 of 39 straw brands tested, most often in paper straws.
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Separately, 360° Foodservice, a European food-service packaging association, previously said its member companies have a no-PFAS clause and set requirements for food-contact safety.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Foodservice Packaging Institute and 360° Foodservice for comment.