There's no denying that single-use plastic straws are not exactly a great choice for the planet. However, there's simply more to them than this. In addition to being catastrophic for our ecosystem, plastic straws come slathered in unwanted toxins that can alter the taste of your beverage. In short, plastic straws come wrapped up in forever toxins like PFAs, which can lead to some serious health conditions like altered reproductive health and even cancer. So, if you are wondering to take a break from plastic straws, now's the time. Read on to explore the hidden disadvantages of single-use plastic straws and why you need to make the switch to PLA straws. What's So Bad With Single-Use Plastic Straws? Before we get into the health effects, let's talk a bit about how bad these drinking straws are for our planet. To start with, single-use plastic straws are made from non-renewable resources like petroleum. The entire process of extracting and manufacturing these straws is pretty resource-intensive. Plus, these straws are also slathered in toxins. Moreover, with an average use span of just 20-30 minutes, plastic straws dominate plastic waste production. And, if you are thinking the impact ends at the bottom of that trash can, you have it all wrong. Once these straws are disposed of, they are dumped in landfills or the oceans. Because plastic products like these bendy straws take a long time to decompose or break down, they are dumped off. However, these straws are often mistaken as food by marine and land animals, causing entanglement, choking, and even death. In fact, we lose over a million marine life every year to ocean plastic pollution. But, there's more. Once they eventually start to break down (which is after decades or even centuries), they break down into microplastics. In short, plastic never really goes away. The microplastics eventually get mixed with the soil or ocean waves and end up entering our food chain. An average human consumes a credit card worth of microplastics every week if you were just wondering. Back to the health effects, plastic straws are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. The manufacturing process usually includes polymerization of Polypropylene, a polymer derived from petroleum. And, if you are wondering, polypropylene is made through chemical reactions. Simply put, single-use plastic straws equal unwanted chemical nasties. The chemicals in plastic straws are so toxic that these straws create toxic industrial waste. And, beyond just forever toxins like PFAs, these plastic straws come with other toxins like BPA or Bispenol-A. Linked with some cancer types, immune impairment, diabetes, obesity, and abnormal puberty, BPA poses a high concern when it comes to health. Moving forward, some straws might even contain phthalates as a softening agent. However, it is also known to trigger symptoms of asthma, cancer, reproductive effects in infants, immune impairment, and cognitive development impairments in kids. Lastly, all or most single-use products like plastic flexible straws also contain leaching chemicals that only exist if plastic is heated and re-cleaned over time. Making The Switch To PLA Straws Compared to plastic straws, PLA straws are compostable straws, which are made from plants. Unlike paper straws, which are made from trees, PLA straws are made from PLA or polylactic acid, which is a natural compound formed in plants like sugarcane bagasse or corn starch. Free from everything petroleum and made from natural resources, these biodegradable straws are also certified compostable. Certified to break down into compost within just a few weeks after disposal, these eco-friendly straws are also free from all the nasties. Toxin-free and heavy-duty, these flexible straws do not alter the taste of your drink, nor do they cause any health effects. Plus, while single-use drinking straws take a long time to break down and release microplastics into the ecosystem, these flexible straws actually break down into compost within 90-180 days of disposal.