From kitchen utensils to toys, household items linked to toxic flame retardants

From toys to kitchenware to takeaway containers, researchers have discovered a toxic chemical banned in many common household items due to its link to cancer. Exposure to the flame retardant can pose serious health risks.

“We knew before we started this research that there is no reason why our food contact items, utensils or toys contain harmful flame retardants,” lead study author Megan Liu explains in her report.

“As I do what I can to transition my household items to safer alternatives, I hope that studies like this, along with the ever-growing body of research proving how dangerous plastic is, will prompt our governments and retailers to act now come. and switching to safer materials.”

Published in the news ChemosphereLiu and her fellow researchers discovered nine toxic flame retardants in household items containing black plastic. Some items contain high concentrations of the chemicals, up to 2.3% by weight.

They found traces of deca-BDE, a retardant banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2021, in 70% of the samples tested. But newer delayers were also found, including a hormone-disrupting chemical recently found in human breast milk.

According to Liu – science and policy manager at environmental organization Toxic-Free Future – the hazardous chemicals are likely to end up in household items through poor recycling practices.

“We know that some electronics companies are putting very dangerous flame retardants in their products and thought it was quite likely that some of that flame retardant plastic would be recycled and end up in household items like toys and kitchenware,” she said. “And that’s what we found: flame retardants linked to cancer and hormone disruption end up in products we use to eat or prepare food, or that our children play with.”

The most common flame retardants, PBDEs, can disrupt brain development in children and have been linked to increased cancer risks. Bromophenols, PBDE alternatives, can affect fetal development and have been found in both the placenta and breast milk.

Liu offered some advice on how to prevent contamination: Avoid black plastic when it comes to food and children.

“Since receiving the results of this study, I have replaced all my black plastic utensils with plastic-free wooden or stainless steel utensils,” she wrote. “And I opted for reusable glass containers instead of keeping and reusing my black plastic takeout containers.”

2024 The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.