Should I throw away the black plastic spatula? A recent study reported that common black plastic products (such as cookware, toys, hair products, etc.) contain alarming levels of some flame retardants, and many people suddenly find themselves black. We began to review our plastic kitchen utensils and consider wooden and metal alternatives. And I understood the reason for the concern. Chemosphere, They highlighted the potential health effects of exposure to flame retardants, particularly decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE). Decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) is a chemical banned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2021 due to its clear association with cancer and reproductive, developmental, and immunological toxic effects.
But this week, the study’s authors issued a correction suggesting that exposure to deca-BDE from the products tested was not as close to the EPA’s safety standard levels as originally thought. The decaBDE exposure they estimated from the products screened is still correct, but it is one-tenth of the reference dose. The study miscalculated the comparison by an order of magnitude.
The amount of flame retardants in these products is not as harmful as originally stated (in terms of EPA guidance), but for these chemicals, exposure to small amounts over long periods of time may be harmful. “It could be,” said Andrew Turner, a biogeochemist at the University of Plymouth in the UK. He is not involved in any research on the disposal and recycling of plastic consumer goods. “It’s difficult to give numbers for these chemicals.”
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The study authors apologized for the error and insisted that “the calculation error does not affect the overall conclusions of the paper.”
“Our results still show that when harmful additives are used in plastics, they can significantly contaminate products made from recycled content that do not require flame retardancy.” said Megan Liu, co-author of the recent study and science and policy manager at Toxic. -Free Future, an environmental health research and advocacy organization. “Products found to contain hazardous flame retardants in this study included items with high potential for exposure, such as items that come in contact with food and toys that come into contact with children.”
Why may some black plastics contain flame retardants?
To meet fire safety regulations, certain products (often including computers, televisions, and other common electronic products) require flame retardants. Some of these items will be recycled into black plastic to reduce the amount of electronic waste and fossil fuels needed to make new plastic. But the problem is that “the flame retardants and other chemicals associated with that plastic can also be recycled,” says Stuart Hallad, an environmental chemist at the University of Birmingham in the UK who was not involved in the paper. “I think it would be OK to some extent if we were just recycling plastic for applications like televisions that have to meet fire safety regulations. But the important thing here is that that’s not happening.”
The main goal of the new study was to identify flame-retardant chemicals found in a variety of common products. Researchers tested 203 items, ranging from plastic sushi takeout trays to toy necklaces, and found 17 of them were contaminated with high levels of flame retardants. Fourteen of the products contained high levels of decaBDE.
The United States has largely banned deca-BDE and other polybrominated diphenyl ether flame retardants. Although newer electronic products are using safer flame retardants, older electronic products containing deca-BDE may still be in many households or may have only recently been thrown away for recycling. Turner says. “Some electronics can last quite a while,” he adds. Now may be the only time these old devices make it to recycling plants.
The new study’s results are generally consistent with past evidence that recycled plastics and flame retardants could be used in toys and cookware, Harrad said. However, it is unclear whether the mere presence of flame retardants in cookware poses a health threat to humans. Many factors are considered, including source, dose, duration of exposure, and other chemicals that may be present. In a 2018 study, Harrad and colleagues tested potential exposure from black plastic cookware and found that absorption through the skin from simply holding them was negligible. But when they tested them in long cooking experiments with hot oil, an average of about 20 percent of the flame retardants in the appliances migrated into the oil. “That’s because petroleum, especially hot oil, is a very good way to extract these chemicals,” says Harad.
Why did the calculation error occur?
The authors of the new study used calculations from Harrad’s 2018 study to estimate potential human exposure to deca-BDE from plastic products. They applied this calculation to the median level of decaBDE found in the products they tested. This works out to an estimated 34,700 nanograms of deca-BDE per day. The researchers then compared that number to the EPA’s standard dose of 7,000 nanograms per kilogram of body weight per day. (Some researchers point out that this measurement comes from laboratory tests and animal models, not direct human experiments). To better assess the human risk, scientists calculated a reference dose based on a person weighing 60 kg (132 lbs) and initially found it to be 42,000 ng per day. This is surprisingly close to the daily exposure of 34,700 ng estimated from the new data. . But 7,000 times 60 is actually 420,000. This could be a simple miscalculation, but this correction will significantly reduce how close the exposure is to the maximum allowable limit.
The person responsible for the miscalculation was “contextualizing the levels observed in the study thinking it might be helpful to people,” Liu says. “This is really only part of our research, not even part of our important findings.”
She and her co-authors stressed that this error does not undermine one of the study’s main conclusions. This means that these flame retardant chemicals, especially prohibited chemicals, should not be found in any amount in these products. in the first place.
“When they realize they made a miscalculation, they’re probably banging their heads in frustration,” Harad said, adding that the rest of the findings were “completely plausible.”
“This study highlights the fact that we still haven’t solved this problem. We’re still finding these chemicals in new products containing recycled plastic. “That’s true,” says Harad. “We need to step up efforts to isolate these chemicals from waste and prevent them from being recycled.”
So should you really throw away your black plastic spatula? Harad says you should avoid leaving food in hot pots or pots for too long. Some experts recommend against reheating food in black plastic containers, but studies have not confirmed whether this causes chemicals to leach into the food. The important thing to remember is: “If you notice that your blackware is damaged in any way,[throw it away]and switch to something else,” says Turner. Plastic pieces can break off and become food.
When looking for new cookware, Turner says it’s more sustainable and potentially safer to use less black plastic and choose materials and colors that are easier to recycle. Liu says wood, stainless steel or silicone products are safer alternatives. But people can’t “shop around” to escape larger societal problems, she added. “We can’t expect everyone to immediately switch to safer alternatives,” Liu said. “That’s ultimately why we’ve been calling for greater regulatory action at both the corporate and government levels to control and limit these harmful chemicals.”
