Go to your kitchen, take your black spatula and throw it in the trash. Immediately.
That's the alarming message from a new study published in the journal Chemosphere. Cooking with any plastic container has long been seen as a concern because heat can cause plastic chemicals to migrate into the food you are about to eat. But researchers now say that products made from recycled black plastic contain more toxic substances.
The authors of the Chemosphere study found that everyday household items made from recycled black plastic, including kitchen utensils, take-out bowls, toys and hair accessories, are more likely to contain dangerous levels of flame retardants and other toxic chemicals.
Flame retardants are making their way into our consumer goods because these dark-colored products are made from recycled electronic waste, such as discarded television sets and computers, which often contain additives.
As with any other plastic cookware, if you use a black plastic spatula while flipping your pancakes, the heat can encourage any existing flame retardant to come off the flipper and into your flapjacks.
“That's because flame retardants aren't actually bound to the plastic polymers they're added to, they're an additive. And heat can slow the migration of chemicals into products,” said Megan Liu, co-author of the research and science and policy manager for Toxic-Free Future.
Poison is not in everything that is black – for example, you will not find it in a black spatula made of silicone. And they're not all black plastic things. The problem is, you cannot tell which plastics are harmful and which are not.
Why are you fired now?
If you look at your black plastic products and think, “I've used them for so long and I'm good,” Liu said these products are playing the long game.
Daily cooking with black plastic products can lead to increased exposure to toxic chemicals over time.
Toys with black plastic can be even more dangerous for young children, whose bodies are still developing.
Lui said research has shown that toxic chemicals can leach from children's toys into their saliva when they put the products in their mouths.
“It's very worrying when you think about flame retardants, because they are known to accumulate in our bodies,” she said.
Experts agree, there is no safe level of exposure to these flame retardants.
The formation can lead to a variety of health problems, including increased risks of cancer, hormonal disruption, reproductive effects and damage to the brain and nervous system.
How do you know if a product is dangerous?
It is almost impossible to know that a black plastic product is dirty. That's because these products that include recycled waste do not disclose a detailed list of all the ingredients and impurities in the product.
Liu said it is not clear how many types of flame retardants are in these black plastic products.
Some of the products tested by researchers in this latest study “have up to nine different hazardous chemicals and hazardous flame retardants in them,” she said.
What can you do about it?
Experts advise consumers not to buy any black plastic containers or other products if possible. If you already have certain products in your kitchen or home, they advise you to throw them away.
There are many restaurants that place their to-go orders in black plastic containers. If you get one of these containers, don't use it to reheat food or leftovers – transfer the food to glass or ceramic dishes.
“The sushi trays had one of the highest standards [a] a flame retardant called deca-BDE [Decabromodiphenyl ether]which is a concern because it was actually taken out of the US and banned” for several years, Liu said.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of deca-BDE in 2021 after the chemical was linked to cancer, endocrine and thyroid problems, and many other diseases.
What are some safe alternatives?
The safest choices for non-toxic materials for kitchen utensils are wood and stainless steel.
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