Black Kitchen Utensils May Be Exposing You to Harmful Chemicals, New Study Warns
- New research discovered that banned toxic flame retardants can make their way into household items like kitchen utensils and takeout containers.
- 85% of items in the study contained flame retardants, including many that contained decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), a chemical banned by the EPA due to its link to cancer.
- Experts say to avoid using black plastic items, especially ones that come in contact with food.
Banned toxic flame retardants can make their way into household items, including cooking utensils and food containers, new research found.1
Researchers tested products made from black plastic, which largely enters the recycling stream after first serving as protective parts for electronics, such as the enclosures on the back of televisions.
These plastics are often treated with flame retardants when used in electronics. But even after the items are recycled, the chemicals—which have been linked with a number of negative health impacts—can remain in the materials in high concentrations, according to the study.1
“This study highlights the lack of chemical regulation on what is entering our recycling system,” the study’s lead author, Megan Liu, science and policy manager at Toxic-Free Future, told Health.
