By Serena Solomon of RNZ Another day, another toxin trying to kill us. This time, a deadly compound might be lurking in that quiet, cheap workhorse of the kitchen – your trusty black spatula. A new study has found high levels of flame retardants in some items made from recycled black plastic, including kitchen utensils , toys and other household items.
Yet, researchers cautioned against immediately throwing out your black spatula (even though the head author of the new study did exactly that). The problem is recycled black plastic often comes from electronic devices. Since the 1970s, flame-retardant chemicals have been added to plastic used in these devices to prevent or slow electrical fires.
Some of that plastic – and the accompanying flame retardant – has been recycled into all sorts of bits and pieces..