Study finds black plastic food and toys contain flame retardants

IIt’s easy to think that your cooking utensils and food containers are safe for contact with actual food (after all, that’s what they’re for). But new research suggests that may not be the case.

The research is published in the journal chemical ballhigh levels of toxic flame retardants have been detected in black plastic, including kitchen utensils, food containers, toys and the trays used to hold groceries, meats and produce.

The flame retardants detected included decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), which was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2021. agent.

Ultimately, the researchers found that decaBDE was detected in 70 percent of the samples, at levels 1,200 times higher than the EU’s acceptable limit of 10 parts per million.

The study raises many questions about the safety of these products and how to reduce risks. Here’s what to know.

How did flame retardants end up in black plastic products?

The researchers behind the study said this was related to errors in the recycling process. “Our findings suggest that when companies intentionally use flame retardants in products such as electronics, they may contaminate downstream products,” study co-author Megan Liu, science and policy manager at Toxic-Free Future, told Well+Good. “There should be no flame retardants in these products. They can leach through toys into food or children’s saliva.

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Some electronic devices use flame retardants to reduce the risk of fire. But if not recycled properly, these chemicals can end up in final products, such as food containers and toys. “There should be no flame retardants in these products,” Liu said, because they could leach into food or into the child’s body if the child puts the toys in their mouth.

In the study’s conclusion, Liu and her fellow researchers wrote: “The detection of flame retardants in collected household products demonstrates that without the necessary transparency and restrictions to ensure safety, recycling can lead to accidental exposure to toxic chemicals in household items. Flame retardants.

How dangerous is this discovery?

The results of the study were not ideal. PBDEs have been linked to cancer as well as reproductive, thyroid and endocrine problems. Most recently, April JAMA Internet Open The study found that people with the highest levels of PBDE in their blood were about 300% more likely to die from cancer than those with the lowest blood levels.

“In animal and human studies, brominated flame-retardant chemicals have been linked to cancer, neurotoxicity, and endocrine disruption,” said MedStar Health toxicologist Kelly Johnson-Arbor, MD. “Using kitchen utensils, food containers and toys contaminated with these compounds may cause these chemicals to enter the body and cause adverse health effects in some people.”

Flame retardants are “particularly concerning” because they are so persistent in the environment, Liu said. “It’s particularly concerning that flame retardants that have been phased out are still present in products when studies show they may cause cancer,” she said.

How to reduce exposure

It’s important to note that this study only looked at black plastic products, so it’s difficult to know whether this association exists for other colors of plastic. However, Dr. Johnson-Alber says if you’re concerned about possible exposure to flame retardants in black plastic, you can do your best to avoid them.

Liu recommends replacing all plastic utensils with wooden or stainless steel utensils whenever possible.

Dr. Johnson-Alber says it’s also helpful to heat food in microwave-safe containers like ceramic or glass (rather than plastic).

Notably, flame retardants are also intentionally used in a range of products, including sofas, car interiors, infant car seats and yoga mats, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). According to NIEHS, these flame retardants can then leach into the air and cling to dust, food and water.

To reduce exposure: “People can also clean and ventilate regularly to remove any flame retardants that have accumulated in the air,” Dr. Johnson-Aber said. “Frequent hand washing, regular wet dusting, mopping and vacuuming can also help.”

But Liu stressed that we should never have been in this situation in the first place. “While we can take steps to avoid buying plastic and keep our homes clean, we can’t buy our way out of this problem,” she said. “The responsibility shouldn’t be on the consumer. We need policies to help.