Next to my stove is an OXO container with a set of black plastic cooking utensils. I purchased these on February 20, 2012 (thanks, Amazon, for allowing me to revisit my past). They have lasted through four books, five different houses, the birth of a second child, a global viral pandemic, and a business launch. And then, a couple of weeks ago, I was told I needed to throw them away immediately.
My spouse was skeptical. “If they were going to kill us, wouldn’t they have done it already?” I imagined the pasta spoon lying in wait for its moment, like a gremlin. An econometrician friend who was visiting intoned, “Did you know that 100% of people who use black utensils die? Well, that’s based on the retrospective sample.” (This is a statistics joke.)
Neither of their observations were very helpful. Do I need to get rid of my utensils? Let’s investigate.
What does this new study say?
The paper on everyone’s mind was published in the journal Chemosphere in October 2024.
The authors are concerned about the possible presence of flame-retardant chemicals in black plastic items specifically. The concern stems from the fact that many of these items are made from recycled plastic. So ecofriendly! But … a lot of those recycled plastics might come from appliances (mainly, television casings) that contain flame retardants. This isn’t supposed to happen, but the concern is that it might.
The authors purchased 203 items made of black plastic — food service containers, toys, hair accessories, kitchen utensils — in Seattle in 2020 and 2022. They first tested all of these for a high level of bromide, a chemical compound commonly used as a flame retardant. This test can be done with a spectrometer machine.
For 20 of the products (out of 203), they found levels of bromide above what they defined as a threshold level of 50 parts per million, and then did further tests (which are more involved) for flame-retardant chemicals. Of these 20 products with further testing, 17 of them showed the presence of flame retardants.
To summarize: Of the 203 products purchased in this study, 17 of them showed some level of flame retardants in the plastic. Among these products are a number of kitchen utensils (peelers, slotted turners, slotted spoons) as well as some toys. The highest level of chemicals was found in a sushi tray. The levels of these chemicals are given in the paper, but they are not especially easy to link to any outcomes.
What do we not know?
Honestly, quite a lot.
This paper is careful and reasonable, and the authors did a tremendous amount of work. However, there are enormous numbers of unanswered questions. For example:
- The authors raised concerns with 10% of the products purchased, all of which came from Seattle. How widespread are these concerns? Are some brands of products better than others? Are all products which look plastic actually made with recycled plastics?
- To what extent does exposure to these products actually expose us to flame retardants? If you flip your pancakes with a spatula that has bromide in it, does some of it transfer to you?
- What level of exposure to these chemicals would cause issues in people? What issues? We have animal studies that suggest there could be concern, and data from occupational exposures, but nothing that would really let us calibrate where to put this worry among our many other worries.
- Flame retardants are in many other products we have in our houses, like TVs (for good reason). If you get rid of your utensils, how much does that change things? We have basically no idea.
The reaction to this paper seems a little extreme to me. At the core, this is a study that finds some levels of chemicals in 17 of 203 products tested in one location. To conclude from that that everyone in America should throw away their black utensils seems like a big step.
Why are we afraid of plastic?
Part of the reaction to this, I believe, is an overall fear of plastics. This background may be part of why the reaction here was so strong. Phthalates, PFAS, microplastics — within the past several years, increasingly loud concerns have been raised about whether the extensive exposure we have to plastics is bad for our health. Particular worries include the possibility that plastics disrupt our endocrine system, affect fertility, and cause cancer (among other things).
The concerns about plastics include concerns about chemicals used to make the plastics and concerns about the plastic itself (you may have heard that we consume about a credit card’s worth of plastic each week, although that turns out to be a myth).
As I have written about before, in a lot of these cases the data is murky. How important are phthalate exposures really for our health? We don’t have a precise answer. The same is true for most of the other issues we raise with plastics. It’s definitely gross and weird that we ingest plastic, but that’s not the same as saying it’s hastening death. (And it should be noted that plastics have dramatically improved human survival on the whole.)
I mention this because I think part of why people have been so quick to draw conclusions from this new study is they are coming in with the general sense that we know that plastics are the enemy. My point is just that I think the size of that effect is very unclear.
So, should I get rid of my utensils?
First question: Let’s say I’m redoing my kitchen and I want to think about new utensils. Should I pick something other than black plastic? Sure. There are good silicone and metal options (Wirecutter has some reviews — ignore the panic headline!), and if you were literally thinking “all else being equal,” you might as well set your mind at relative ease.
More complicated question: If you were not planning to change anything, is this the moment to do so? To be frank, I don’t think the answer is obvious. I can see deciding that this small change is something that is not hard to do, and that less exposure to flame retardants is better. I can also see reasonable people viewing the possible impacts on health as extremely limited and deciding that immediate replacement isn’t necessary. (And if you already threw them away and replaced them, I hope you are enjoying your new spatula.)
It shouldn’t matter, but for what it’s worth: Am I going to replace my beloved utensils right now? No.
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Ok, but what if we live in Seattle 😅
Can you share the data on occupational exposure?
Since OXO is mentioned by name, I want to note that OXO users have an additional reason not to panic. I actually reached out to OXO customer support regarding this question about a month ago. They said their black utensils are not plastic. Here is the full response:
We are aware of the article produced by CNN and understand your concerns. Our black utensils are made of silicone and nylon, they are not made from recycled plastics, eliminating the risk of Flame retardants. For over 25 years, the safety and comfort of OXO consumers have been our priority. Our products undergo extensive, rigorous testing through third-party, independent labs for lead, BPA, phthalates, and other potentially harmful chemicals.
In addition, we monitor and ensure the products meet or exceed the applicable domestic and international regulations, including those in California Proposition 65, and of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), as well as industry and additional corporate quality standards.
This is very helpful — thank you. And I think illustrates one of the (many) things we do not know. Namely, what products which might *look* like plastic are plausibly affected. (Also, this is helpful for my particular case, so thank you).
Great article, thank you!
I believe the “credit card of plastic” myth has been debunked (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666911022000247, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct5tqj).
Also, it’s worth noting that moving away from plastic (where easy substitutions like cookware exist) has many additional environmental benefits in addition to supporting a low-barrier, precautionary approach to human health. Not to mention the very significant human health impacts to those involved in manufacturing plastic products.
Haha I was just about to come in with this entertaining video debunking / source explaining the credit card myth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ntp6BqhSng Hank Green was on OtM last Friday talking about it too.