Toxic Black Plastic Lurks In CA Kitchens, Kids' Toys, Researchers Warn

CALIFORNIA ? That black plastic spatula you love to cook with? Convenient to-go food containers in shades of black? Kids' toys made of black plastic?

It might be time to ditch them all, according to recently published research that found black plastic products ? often made from plastics recovered from recycled electronic waste ? can be toxic.

The October study, titled "From e-waste to living space: Flame retardants contaminating household items add to concern about plastic recycling," found that many black-colored household items are being made using plastics recovered from end-of-life electronic gadgets ? old televisions, DVR players, computers, etc. That e-waste usually contains flame retardants, and the researchers say the toxic chemicals are getting into our bodies.

For the study published in Chemosphere, 203 household products made of black plastic ? kitchen utensils, food containers, toys, hair accessories, and other products ? were screened for the presence of carcinogenic flame retardants. Researchers found that 85% of the items tested had flame retardant concentrations ranging up to 22,800 mg/kg.

What's a safe level?

"The presence of [flame retardants] in household products is concerning," because there?s no safe level of exposure to them, according to the study's authors.

The researchers urge that household items made with e-waste plastics should undergo "necessary transparency and restrictions to ensure safety," because there is "unexpected exposure to toxic flame retardants" for consumers.

The toxins aren't in every black-colored plastic item, and black silicon products aren't made with plastics from recycled e-waste, but consumers can?t tell which ones are potentially dangerous.

Toys with black plastic can also be very harmful to young children. The toxins can leach out of playthings and into saliva when tots put the items in their mouths, according to the authors.

One of the study's authors, Megan Liu, told the Los Angeles Times, "It?s really concerning when you think about flame retardants because they?re known to bioaccumulate in our bodies."

Endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, reproductive harm, cancer, and thyroid disruption are a few of the human health problems associated with flame retardants, according to studies cited by the From e-waste to living space" authors.

The researchers advise consumers to replace black plastics with items considered less toxic, for example, stainless steel for kitchen utensils. Wood and bamboo are also options.

If your budget doesn't allow an immediate purge, Andrew Turner, a biogeochemist at the University of Plymouth specializing in plastic pollution, told Wirecutter that consumers can prioritize. Black plastic kitchenware that comes in contact with hot oils and acids should be the first to go.

"The hot oils and acids act as more effective leaching agents than hot water,? Turner told the media outlet.

Turner has warned of black plastic's dangers for years. In 2018, his study, "Black plastics: Linear and circular economies, hazardous additives and marine pollution," was published.

Inefficiently sorted e-waste plastic "has the potential to introduce restricted and hazardous substances into the recyclate," including brominated flame retardants and heavy metals, Turner wrote.

"While environmental and health impacts arise from the production and use of plastics in general, black plastics pose greater risks and hazards because of technical and economic constraints imposed on the efficient sorting and separation of black waste for recycling, coupled with the presence of harmful additives required for black plastic production ...," Turner said.

While last month's study focused on black plastics and their tie to toxic recycled e-waste, any plastic could be problematic.

Liu, who is also a policy manager at Toxic-Free Future, an advocacy organization, said, "It is possible that recycled plastic of other colors may contain other toxic-chemical additives."