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Black kitchen utensils are the latest to be caught in the crosshairs of the war on plastic with new research suggesting black plastic can contain dangerous levels of toxic chemicals.
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Experts say it’s likely that they might contain toxic chemicals such as flame retardants, which can leach into food during cooking. But it’s impossible to tell for sure which items are contaminated because the source of the chemicals seems to be recycled from e-waste and labelling on recycled content can be inconsistent.
Plastic is often not recycled. Additionally, black plastic is a notoriously difficult colour to sort for recycling and most of it gets rejected, the New York Times reported. However, to keep up with product demands, black plastic from recycled electronic waste including computers, TVs and appliances is often used instead.
Some expects say that recycling that e-waste can introduce toxic chemicals to the plastic material, some of which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has banned.
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“Toxic flame retardants are intentionally used in electronic enclosures that are typically made of black plastic,” said Toxic-Free Future’s Megan Liu, a co-author of a recent study that found high levels of flame-retardant chemicals in common household items.
The study showed that those chemicals can appear in recycled black plastic that is bound for food use and toys. The study screened more than 200 black plastic products and found high levels of flame retardants such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), associated with hormonal and development impacts. One variety in the tested items, decaBDE, is linked to cancer.
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If present, those chemicals can leach out of plastic, especially under heat, which a spatula commonly meets in a frying pan.
The study found the highest levels of flame retardants in styrene-based plastic.
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Though not included in the recent study, “it is possible that recycled plastic of other colours may contain other toxic-chemical additives,” said Liu said.
The Plastics Industry Association, a major trade group representing the plastic industry, did not respond to a request for a comment from the Times.
Experts say that the most responsible way to dispose of unwanted black plastic is to throw it in the trash since black plastic can’t be sorted through most municipal recycling systems.
Stainless steel and silicone are alternatives.
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