A recent study published in the journal Chemosphere raised concerns about food safety, warning that black plastic kitchen utensils may release harmful chemicals, including carcinogenic substances. Researchers tested 203 black plastic products, including kitchen utensils, hair accessories, and toys, to detect bromine, an indicator of brominated flame retardants. They found flame retardants in 17 of the items, with total concentrations reaching up to 22,800 mg/kg, according to Scientific American.
Decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE) was one of the most widely used flame retardants until it was banned in the US by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2021 and in the European Union in 2006 due to its harmful effects on human health. Despite the ban, DecaBDE compounds were found in 70% of the samples in the study, raising concerns about their safety and the potential for obsolete additives to slip through, as reported by The Indian Express.
"We bought 203 black plastic items—hair accessories, kitchen utensils, and toys—and tested them for bromine," said the study's lead author, Megan Liu, science and policy manager at Toxic-Free Future, according to Deutsche Welle. She added, "Then we selected 20 products with the highest levels of bromine, and we found flame retardants in 17 of those products."
Among the tested items, the highest leakage of harmful chemicals was observed in a sushi tray, a simple black takeaway box. "This finding further supports our hypothesis that flame retardants end up in everyday products we don't suspect," Liu stated, according to Frontline.
Flame-resistant plastics, especially DecaBDE, are associated with cancer, hormonal imbalance, and nervous and reproductive damage.
Researchers found that when electronic plastics are recycled, harmful chemicals like DecaBDE can re-enter circulation and become components of household items, leading to potentially high exposure to these toxins. "During recycling, waste products are often mixed indiscriminately," said Bethanie Carney Almroth, an ecotoxicologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, highlighting the lack of knowledge about chemicals present in recycled materials, according to Deutsche Welle.
The study noted risk in kitchen utensils like peelers, spatulas, and spoons, which come into direct contact with food and the mouth.
To minimize exposure, experts recommend reducing the use of black plastic, especially in food-contact products, and avoiding toys made with black plastics that could pose a risk to children.
Despite corrections made by the study's authors regarding calculations of safe exposure levels, they maintain their recommendation to replace black plastic products, such as kitchen utensils and toys, due to the persistence of these chemicals in recycled plastics, as reported by HuffPost Spain.
"Our results still show that when toxic additives are used in plastic, they can significantly contaminate products made with recycled content that do not require flame retardancy," Liu said, according to Scientific American.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq