It might be time to reconsider if you love your black plastic spatula, convenient to-go food containers, or kids’ toys made of black plastic. Recent research suggests that black plastic products, often made from recycled electronic waste, can be toxic.

A study titled “From e-waste to living space: Flame retardants contaminating household items add to concern about plastic recycling,” published in October, found that many black-colored household items are manufactured using plastics recovered from discarded electronics like old televisions, DVR players, and computers. These e-waste items usually contain flame retardants, which the researchers say are leaching into our bodies.

The study, published in Chemosphere, screened 203 black plastic household products—kitchen utensils, food containers, toys, hair accessories, and more—for carcinogenic flame retardants. It revealed that 85% of the items tested had flame retardant concentrations up to 22,800 mg/kg.

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“The presence of [flame retardants] in household products is concerning,” the study’s authors noted, emphasizing that there is no safe level of exposure.

Researchers recommend that household items made with e-waste plastics undergo “necessary transparency and restrictions to ensure safety,” due to the “unexpected exposure to toxic flame retardants.”

Not all black-colored plastic items contain these toxins, and black silicone products are not made from recycled e-waste plastics. However, consumers cannot easily distinguish which items are potentially dangerous. This issue is particularly concerning for young children, as toxins can leach out of black plastic toys and into saliva when kids put them in their mouths.

“It’s really concerning when you think about flame retardants because they’re known to bioaccumulate in our bodies,” said Megan Liu, one of the study’s authors, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, reproductive harm, cancer, and thyroid disruption are among the human health problems associated with flame retardants, as cited in the study.

The researchers advise consumers to replace black plastics with less toxic alternatives, such as stainless steel kitchen utensils. Wood and bamboo are also good options.

For those unable to immediately replace all black plastic items, Andrew Turner, a biogeochemist specializing in plastic pollution, suggests prioritizing the removal of black plastic kitchenware that comes into contact with hot oils and acids. “The hot oils and acids act as more effective leaching agents than hot water,” Turner explained to Wirecutter.

Turner has long warned of the dangers of black plastic. In his 2018 study, “Black plastics: Linear and circular economies, hazardous additives, and marine pollution,” he highlighted the risks posed by inefficiently sorted e-waste plastic, which can introduce restricted and hazardous substances into recycled materials, including brominated flame retardants and heavy metals.

While the recent study focused on black plastics linked to toxic recycled e-waste, any recycled plastic could pose risks. Liu, who is also a policy manager at Toxic-Free Future, an advocacy organization, noted, “It is possible that recycled plastic of other colors may contain other toxic-chemical additives.”

This research underscores the importance of being mindful of the materials we use in our daily lives and taking steps to minimize exposure to potentially harmful substances.

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