From toys to kitchenware to food takeout trays, researchers have discovered a toxic chemical banned for its link to cancer in many common household items. Exposure to the flame retardant can come with serious health risks.
“We knew even before we started this study that there is no reason for our food-contact items, kitchen utensils, or toys to contain harmful flame retardants,” lead study author Megan Liu explained in her report. “While I’m doing what I can to switch my household items to safer alternatives, I hope that studies like this, along with the ever-growing body of research proving how dangerous plastics are, will help push our governments and retailers to act now and shift towards safer materials.”
Published in the scientific journal Chemosphere, Liu and her fellow researchers discovered nine toxic flame retardants in household items containing black plastic. Some of the items had high concentrations of the chemicals, up to 2.3% in weight. In 70% of the samples tested, they found traces of decaBDE, a retardant banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2021. But newer retardants were also found, including a hormone-disrupting chemical recently detected in human breast milk.
According to Liu — environmental advocacy group Toxic-Free Future’s science and policy manager — the dangerous chemicals are likely making their way into household items through poor recycling practices.
“We know that some electronics companies put highly hazardous flame retardants in their products, and thought it was pretty likely that some of that flame-retarded plastic would be recycled and make its way into household items like toys and kitchen utensils,” she said. “And that’s what we found: flame retardants linked to cancer and hormone disruption are ending up in products we use for eating or preparing food, or that our kids play with.”
The most common flame retardants, PBDEs, can disrupt brain development in children and have been linked to greater cancer risks. Bromophenols, PBDE alternatives, can affect fetal development and have been detected in both placenta and breast milk.
Liu offered some advice on how to avoid contamination: avoid black plastics where food and children are involved.
“Since receiving the results for this study, I have replaced all my black plastic kitchen utensils with plastic-free wooden or stainless steel ones,” she wrote. “And I opted for reusable glass containers instead of keeping and reusing my black plastic takeout containers.”
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