Recent findings published in the journal Chemosphere reveal a troubling discovery: many black plastic household items contain dangerous flame-retardant chemicals that could pose significant health risks.
Items ranging from sushi takeout trays and kitchen utensils to children’s toys and beaded necklaces were found to harbor high levels of these toxic substances, raising alarms about their potential effects on human health.
This research underscores the risks associated with recycling black plastic from electronics and its unintended consequences when repurposed into everyday items.
The Origin of the Problem: Flame-Retardant Chemicals
To enhance fire safety, manufacturers add brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) to plastics used in electronics, particularly those with black coloring. These chemicals are designed to reduce flammability, yet their potential health hazards are well-documented.
According to Megan Liu, coauthor of the study and science and policy manager at Toxic-Free Future, “These cancer-causing chemicals shouldn’t be used to begin with, but with recycling, they are winding up in household products where we don’t expect to see them.”
High exposure to such chemicals has been linked to increased cancer risk and disruptions in the endocrine system, which regulates hormones essential for human health.
Alarming Health Risks
A 2024 study published in JAMA Network Open revealed the dire consequences of prolonged exposure to flame-retardant chemicals. Researchers found that individuals with the highest levels of these substances in their bloodstream were at a staggering 300% higher risk of dying from cancer compared to those with the lowest levels.
Such findings emphasize the need for vigilance when it comes to everyday items made from recycled black plastics, which can transfer these hazardous chemicals into people’s lives in unexpected ways.
The Recycling Connection
Black plastic components from obsolete electronics such as televisions and computers are often recycled and incorporated into household products that don’t require flame retardancy. Toxic-Free Future collaborated with scientists from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam to investigate the extent of this issue.
The team screened over 200 black plastic products, including kitchen utensils, toys, and hair accessories, all of which can lead to close consumer contact with toxic chemicals. Shockingly, 85% of these items contained flame-retardant chemicals, including deca-BDE, a substance banned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2021.
Deca-BDE levels in some items were found to be 5 to 1,200 times higher than the European Union’s safety threshold of 10 ppm (parts per million).
Children at Risk
Children are particularly vulnerable to these toxic substances, as highlighted by Liu.
“We were particularly concerned about exposures from food and ingestion, but also in toys because kids can play with them for long periods of time, and flame retardants can leach out of them and get into children’s saliva,” she explained.
These findings resonate with previous studies. For example, a 2016 investigation revealed high concentrations of flame retardants in Mardi Gras beads. The beads were found to be made from plastics consistent with recycled computer and TV casings, which raised similar concerns about their use in food packaging and decorative items.
“The evidence from our 2016 study paints a picture of plastic parts like computer housing being separated from electronic waste, crushed and melted, possibly mixed with other recycled plastic streams, sold to factories, and molded again into dark colored plastic items like Mardi Gras style beads and decorations,” says Gillian Miller, PhD, senior scientist at the Ecology Center, a nonprofit environmental organization in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“And in some cases the recycled plastics are used in food packaging, like the sushi tray highlighted in this new paper from Toxic-Free Future,” she added.
A Wider Concern: Chemicals in Plastics
The issue extends beyond flame retardants. Jason Somarelli, PhD, director of research at the Duke Cancer Institute’s Comparative Oncology Group, highlights how plastics often contain a “chemical soup” of hazardous additives.
In a recent paper, Dr. Somarelli and his team identified more than 150 known carcinogens in plastic products.
“We were able to link additives to changes in cellular processes, such as DNA damage,” Somarelli explained. He further noted the complexity of understanding how mixtures of multiple additives interact within the human body.
A Call to Action
Advocates emphasize the importance of consumer awareness and policy reform to address these issues. Dr. Gillian Miller, senior scientist at the Ecology Center, stressed the need for legislative action to limit hazardous chemicals in consumer products.
“Persistent flame retardants end up in many different places when the computers, phones, TVs, or headphones are obsolete. They go into the air when burned; into landfills, waterways, wildlife, and humans; and into new plastic products,” Dr. Miller said.
She called for the design of longer-lasting electronics that avoid chemical hazards and can be recycled safely.
Organizations like Toxic-Free Future are working to spotlight retailers and brands adopting safer chemical policies. Their efforts aim to drive systemic change by encouraging companies to eliminate hazardous substances from key products.
Moving Toward Safer Alternatives
The new findings are a stark reminder of the hidden risks lurking in everyday items. As researchers uncover more about the toxic chemicals present in plastics, it becomes increasingly clear that urgent action is needed to protect public health.
Increased consumer education, stricter regulations, and industry-wide shifts toward safer materials are crucial steps in addressing this pervasive issue. By rethinking how we recycle and produce black plastics, we can move closer to a future where household items are both safe and sustainable.
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