Drinking straw
A drinking straw is a utensil that uses suction to carry the contents of a beverage to one's mouth. A straw is used by placing one end in the mouth and the other in a beverage. Lowering the pressure in the mouth causes the surrounding atmospheric pressure to force the liquid through the straw and into the mouth. Drinking straws can be straight or have an angle-adjustable bellows segment.
Disposable straws are commonly made from plastics. However, environmental concerns related to plastic pollution and new regulation have led to rise in reusable and biodegradable straws. Following a rise in regulation and public concern, some companies have voluntarily banned or reduced the number of plastic straws used. Alternative straws are often made of reusable materials like silicone or metal or alternative disposable and biodegradable materials like paper, cardboard, pasta, or bamboo.
Straws have been used since earliest recorded history, with the first extant straws dating from the 3rdmillennium BCE. Different traditional drinks and foods use straws designed for explicit purposes, such as the "straw and sieve" bombilla used to drink the mate infusion common in South America. Since the early 20thcentury, mass-production of straws from plastic and other industrial products such as cellophane has increased the widespread availability of disposable straws.
Straws can make it safer and easier to consume liquids. They are important for people with physical disabilities that affect the ability to swallow or to hold glassware. Straws can also be important in both child and elderly care, and in recovery from certain medical procedures such as dental work. However, the use of straws may not always be advisable depending on the health situation.
History
Early examples
The first known straws were made by the Sumerians and were used for drinking beer, complemented by reusable strainer-tips to avoid the solid byproducts of fermentation that remained in the pots of unfiltered beer. Precious metal tubes discovered in Armenia in 1897, originally postulated to be scepters or canopy supports, are now believed to be the oldest surviving straws, dating to the Maykop culture. A particularly elaborate example, found in a Sumerian tomb dated 3000 BCE, was a gold tube inlaid with the precious blue stone lapis lazuli.File:BombillaParaguay.JPG|thumb|A bombilla, a metal straw with a filter on the bottom, traditionally used for drinking mate
In the 1800s, the rye straw came into fashion because it was cheap and soft, but it had an unfortunate tendency to turn to mush when put in liquid.
American Marvin C. Stone patented the modern drinking straw, inches long and made of paper, in 1888, to address the shortcomings of the rye straw. He came upon the idea while drinking a mint julep on a hot day in Washington, D.C.; the taste of the rye straw was mixing with the drink and giving it a grassy taste, which he found unsatisfactory. He wound paper around a pencil to make a thin tube, slid out the pencil from one end, and applied glue between the strips. He later refined it by building a machine that would coat the outside of the paper with wax to hold it together, so the glue would not dissolve in bourbon.
According to a 1925 bulletin from the National Geographic Society, the people of Jubaland used hollow "drinking sticks", two feet long and half an inch in diameter, to drink from the yak tree.
Early paper straws had a narrow bore, to prevent seeds from clogging them. It was common to use two of them, to reduce the effort needed to take each sip.
Mass production
Plastic straws became widespread following World War II. The materials used in their manufacture were inexpensive, and the types of restaurant fare that they accompanied had become more affordable and popular.In 1930, Otto W. Dieffenbach Sr. developed and produced a cellophane drinking straw in Baltimore. His company known as Glassips Inc., produced straws for restaurants and other products. One dates to 1954. Dieffenbach served as chairman until 1972 and the business, then based in Towson, Maryland, was sold in 1979.
One of the first mass-produced twisted straw was Sip-N-See invented by Milton Dinhofer. Dinhofer originally patented his straw in the shape of a scissor with two loops on top, but Macy's would not carry the straw unless it had a character on it. They suggested Dinhofer make three straws : a cowboy, a clown and an animal for which he made an elephant. Each of his characters was attached to a looping soft polyethylene straw. Rexor Corp. copyrighted the straw the same year, but Macy's decided not to carry them. Dinhofer first marketed the straws with Woolworths. The straws were sold in individual boxes, and more characters were eventually added. Other buyers began to carry it, too, and it was marketed as an "action drinking toy." Sip-N-See went on to sell approximately six million units.
Types
Drinking straws come in many variations and are manufactured using a variety of materials.Plastic
The most common form of drinking straw is made of the thermoplastic polymer polypropylene. This plastic is known for its durability, lightness, and ability to be manufactured at a low cost. Other plastic polymers that exhibit these traits include polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride.These attributes are what have made the traditional plastic straw ubiquitous in fast food establishments and take-out orders around the world. Additionally, other advantages of plastic straws include their ability to be molded into different shapes and sizes while also being able to withstand a wide range of temperatures without deforming. This is important because straws must be temperature resistant and thermally insulated because they can be used in both hot and cold beverages.
One interesting variation of the plastic straw is the "bendy straw", commonly referred to in the industry as an "articulated straw". This straw has a concertina-type hinge near its top to allow for improved maneuverability of the straw when drinking a beverage, especially from a low angle. The articulated straw was invented by Joseph Friedman in 1937. He quickly developed the straw after he saw his daughter struggling to use a normal straight straw.
File:Brown on middeck with drink packet during STS-95.jpg|left|thumb|An astronaut using a plastic straw in space on the 1998 NASA mission STS-95. Straws help reduce the likelihood that liquids will escape containment and contaminate equipment within space vessels. Specially designed straws and other drinking equipment, such as hydration packs can be used in high complexity environments where liquids can cause problems.
Another variation of the plastic straw, the "spoon straw", has a spoon-like tip at the bottom, and is often used with iced slush beverages.
"Stir straws" with a relatively short length and quite a narrow bore are often given along with disposable cups for preparing coffee or tea and serve the primary function of being able to stir in sugar, sweetener, cream, or non-dairy creamer, as well as allowing for sipping a hot beverage. Additionally, boba tea plastic straws with wider openings are commonly used to drink bubble tea, to better accommodate its characteristic tapioca pearls. The tip of these straws is often cut at an angle creating a point which allows one to use the straw to puncture the plastic cover of bubble tea drinks.
Plastic straws can also be embellished with some forms marketed as "crazy straws", having a number of twists and turns at the top. These straws are often marketed and can be entertaining for young children. The crazy straw was invented by Arthur Philip Gildersleeve and patented in 1936.
Reusable
Environmental concerns, stemming from the impact plastic waste has had on the ocean, have led to a rise in reusable straws. Reusable straws are primarily being manufactured out of polylactic acid, silicone, and metal. Polylactic acid and silicone straws are the most similar in texture and feel to their plastic counterparts, however, they fit into the category of biodegradable polymers. These types of straws have some benefits over other more ecologically conscious straws because they are resistant to disintegrating in one's drink and provide adequate insulation for hot and cold drinks. One manufacturer of silicone straws even claims that their straws can be burned into biodegradable ash.Metal and glass straws are other reusable alternatives. A "vampire straw" is a large metal drinking straw with a pointed tip that allows it to double as a dagger-like weapon. A man was arrested at Boston Logan International Airport after a vampire straw was confiscated from his carry-on luggage.
Bombilla
Single-use
Some companies such as Starbucks have moved away from plastic straws. Bamboo straws are sometimes made from the moso bamboo tree.Some companies such as McDonald's have switched to paper and paperboard straws.
Edible
Edible straws have been made out of materials like rice, seaweed, rye, and confectioneries.Flavor straws are a form of drinking straw with a flavoring included, designed to make drinking milk more pleasant for children. They first marketed in the United States in 1956 as Flav-R-Straws. Newer variations of the original idea have been resurrected in forms such as Sipahhs, and Magic Milk Straws that contain hundreds of flavored pellets encased within a stiff plastic straw.
Environmental impact
Plastic straws are not widely recycled and, when improperly disposed, contribute to pollution of the environment.A video of a plastic straw being removed from the nostril of a sea turtle by marine biologist Nathan J. Robinson, filmed by Christine Figgener, quickly spread across all forms of media and spurred the elevation of awareness regarding the potential danger of plastic straws for marine life. The scientist who uploaded the video remarks that it is the emotional pull of the imagery, rather than the significance of the plastic straw itself, that garnered such high viewership.