The Huge Mistake With That Popular Plastic Kitchen Utensils Study
Earlier this fall, a study published in Chemosphere revealed that those popular black kitchen utensils in your home may be linked to a banned chemical. Now, the publication’s researchers are doubling back on their claims and announcing that they’ve made a huge mistake.
Here’s what we know: The study found alarming traces of toxic flame retardants (BDE-209) in various products, including black kitchen utensils, takeout containers, and even children’s toys. The authors estimated that regularly cooking with these utensils could transfer 34,700 nanograms of the contaminant daily onto these tools. And folks were alarmed by these numbers, especially considering the EPA’s safety level for exposure is 7,000 nanograms per kilogram of body weight per day. But here’s the kicker: The researchers missed a critical zero and said the EPA’s safe limit is 42,000 nanograms per day for adults weighing 60 kilograms (130 pounds). As a result, people who read this study concluded that the estimated exposure was unsafe, but with the correct math, the risk is actually a tenth of the EPA’s safe limit.
So, does this mean you can keep your black plastic kitchen utensils? Well, the authors of the journal still stand firm on their findings. In the correction statement, the researchers mentioned, “This calculation error does not affect the paper’s overall conclusion.”
Decabromodiphenyl ether, or decaBDE, is a chemical in the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) family of flame retardants found in black plastic kitchen utensils. While this substance is still being studied to determine what level of traces is harmful to humans, one paper discovered that people with high levels of PBDEs in their blood are 300% more likely to experience terminal cancer.
It’s also equally important to note that when recycled improperly, this flame retardant found in black kitchen utensils can harm communities. “DecaBDE is a toxic chemical that puts the health of Indigenous and frontline communities at risk,” said Pam Miller, executive director of Alaska Community Action on Toxics, in a press release sent by the organization Earthjustice to The Kitchn. “The EPA’s weak rules allow it to contaminate our water, food, and environment. We need stronger protections to keep our families and future generations safe.”
This study has sparked significant controversy, leading organizations like Earthjustice to take legal action against the EPA for its weak regulation of toxic flame retardants, such as DecaBDE, found in everyday cooking utensils. The organization shared that it “sued the EPA in 2021 for issuing weak rules on DecaBDE that violated the Toxic Substances Control Act by failing to protect people and wildlife” and plans to sue the EPA again this year.
Now, with this math mistake coming into public scrutiny, you may question whether to toss out your black plastic kitchen utensils. But, before you decide to keep them, you may want to wait for more research to come out about the long-term safety of DecaBDE exposure. In a press release shared in October, Megan Liu, the study’s coauthor and science and policy manager at Toxic-Free Future, said, “The Biden administration must support a treaty that will end the use of the most harmful plastics and their toxic additives, even in recycled plastics. She concluded, “Major retailers must ensure the products they sell, from children’s toys to kitchen spatulas, are not introducing banned cancer-causing chemicals into our homes.
Further Reading
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