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Analysis and Health

Is recycled plastic in utensils and toys really a big health concern?

A numerical error in a scientific paper created alarm around the chemicals in black plastic utensils, but the extent to which they cause harm is up for debate

By Chris Simms

29 January 2025

Chemicals can leach from black plastic utensils into food during cooking

Big Joe/Shutterstock

I recently threw away my trusty black plastic spatula after a claimed that such utensils may contain dangerous levels of flame-retardant chemicals. It turns out the researchers had a decimal point, and the concentration of chemicals wasn’t nearly as close to safety limits as was originally stated.

Regardless, the work still found some level of fire retardants in 85 per cent of 203 common household items. But how risky is this, if at all, to our health?

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