Yes, Your Black Plastic Utensils May Be Harmful. Here’s What We’re Doing About It.

The news is out: your black plastic spatula has a toxic side.

A new study has revealed that black-colored plastic, such as those found in kitchen gadgets and children’s toys, can contain unhealthy levels of a toxic flame retardant linked to cancer.

While this may feel like devastating news for parents and home cooks, there are alternatives that won’t slowly poison you — and now, we’re going to court to get that flame retardant out of our products once and for all.

Here’s what to know, and what you should do about it:

Why is black plastic bad?

The problem is where it comes from.

Black plastic is often made with recycled e-waste that used to be household electronics. These appliances often contain an extremely hazardous flame retardant called decaBDE.

DecaBDE is so toxic that it’s been banned in multiple countries. The toxic chemical is linked to cancer, reproductive harm, endocrine disruption, and harm to children’s brain development.

What has the government done about decaBDE?

The government ordered a phaseout of most uses of decaBDE in 2021 . But the rule didn’t cover existing products, which have continued to be recycled into new household materials and disposed of in landfills and incinerators.

This year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a new rule regulating decaBDE, but that rule still allows unregulated recycling and disposal, lax restrictions on water discharges, and ongoing use of sewage sludge contaminated with decaBDE as fertilizer.

We’re suing the EPA to make regulations stronger.

This week, Earthjustice filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Yurok Tribe, Alaska Community Action on Toxics, the Center for Environmental Transformation, and the Consumer Federation of America against the EPA. The agency’s weak rule allows decaBDE to persist not only in consumer products, but also in our environment. It poses particularly heightened risks to Indigenous people in both the Arctic and the lower 48, due in part to industrial sources that have contaminated traditional food sources with decaBDE.

The government has gotten tough on the chemical industry before. The Biden administration has put strong limits on other deadly pollutants, including a recent full ban on TCE, a deadly degreasing chemical. It’s time to take strong action on decaDBE.

What should you do about your black plastic items?

In the meantime, your healthiest option is to replace those black plastic spatulas, utensils, and other household gadgets with safer options like wood and stainless steel.

It shouldn’t be up to consumers to protect themselves from deadly chemicals hiding in their homes. That’s why Earthjustice is pushing the government to use its authority to regulate deadly pollutants and keep them out of our homes and environment.