A new study revealed the implications when recycled plastic from electronics is used in household items. Published in Chemosphere, researchers discovered everyday black plastic cooking utensils contain harmful flame retardants through current recycling processes.
While the toxic chemicals are banned from certain applications that don’t require flame retardants (FR), their continued use in electronics is of particular concern for researchers due to their recycled presence in other items, such as kitchen utensils, takeout containers, sushi trays and some children’s toys.
“Companies continue to use toxic flame retardants in plastic electronics, and that’s resulting in unexpected and unnecessary toxic exposures,” Megan Liu, study co-author and science and policy manager at Toxic-Free Future, said. “These cancer-causing chemicals shouldn’t be used to begin with, but with recycling, they are entering our environment and our homes in more ways than one. The high levels we found are concerning.”
The peer-reviewed study, led by scientists from Toxic-Free Future and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, “highlights the consequences of the lack of restrictions on toxic chemicals used in plastics in electronics such as televisions” and how recycling of these plastics “can lead to reuse in household items that do not require flame retardancy,” a press release stated.
Some major health concerns related to flame retardant chemicals exposure include carcinogenicity, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, and reproductive and developmental toxicity, according to the study.
“These results clearly demonstrate that flame retardant-containing electronics, such as the outer casings of large TVs, are being recycled into food storage containers and utensils,” Heather Stapleton, the Ronie-Richele Garcia-Johnson Distinguished Professor at Duke University, said. “While it’s critical to develop sustainable approaches when addressing our plastic waste stream, we should exert some caution and ensure we’re not contributing to additional exposures to these hazardous chemicals in recycled materials.”
While toxic flame retardant chemicals were found in 85 percent of analyzed products, the highest level was found in a sushi tray, spatula, and black beaded children’s necklaces. Total concentrations ranged up to 22,800 ppm of chemicals including the banned substance deca-BDE, which was found at levels ranging from 5 to 1,200 times greater than the European Union’s limit of 10 ppm.
“The Biden administration must support a treaty that will end the use of the most harmful plastics and their toxic additives, even in recycled plastics,” Liu said. “The solutions are clear. The health of women and children must be prioritized over the chemical industry profits. We need less poison plastic, more safer chemicals and materials, and an end to plastic ingredient secrecy. As world leaders convene in South Korea this November, they have an opportunity to put women’s reproductive health and cancer prevention first by turning off the tap on toxic plastics.”
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