In the Dutch parliament, questions have been raised to the Minister of Health about a newspaper article with the tendentious headline: "Environmentally friendly straws are life-threatening to young children".
The newspaper article was based on a Press release (in Dutch) issued by market surveillance authority NVWA. NVWA investigated reports about young children who nearly suffocated after sucking on a paper straw. Wet paper straws become soft, this can cause parts to come loose, forming a paper ‘ball’ that cannot be easily swallowed and may cause suffocation.
Read the full article to understand why paper has been chosen over plastic.