Public Health Sciences researcher hopes black plastics study raises awareness

A study that first made a splash for its conclusions about the safety of some black plastic kitchen utensils and other items, then made another splash for a math mistake, still has an important message for consumers. That’s according to Patricia Fair, Ph.D., an adjunct professor of Public Health Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina.

“I think this new study adds to our awareness of what we are being exposed to and really rethinking what we as consumers use,” she said.

The study, published in the journal Chemosphere, set out to determine whether flame retardants used to prevent fires in electronic products were ending up in household items. Their conclusion was yes. The reason: some black plastic items such as kitchen utensils and food containers and toys were made from recycled plastic from electronics.

Then came news that the researchers had made a miscalculation that led to an overstatement of the threat. But they maintain that their conclusion, that toxic ingredients can contaminate products made with recycled materials, still holds true. They’re also calling for more regulation to prevent such contamination.

Fair agreed with that call. “Once these chemicals are in use, they just keep being recycled. They're out there as environmental hazards for a long, long time. Until a study like this comes out, people aren't aware of it. And that's a big issue.”

She’s done studies of her own focusing on contaminants in the environment, including a study that found flame retardants in the blubber of Charleston dolphins. 

Why all the fuss about flame retardants? The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, reports that a growing body of research suggests that being exposed to them may cause health problems. That includes “endocrine and thyroid disruption, immunotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, cancer and adverse effects on fetal and child development and neurobehavioral function.”

The Environmental Protection Agency has weighed in too, saying studies show certain flame retardant chemicals can linger in the environment, accumulate in people and animals and have caused developmental problems in animals.

But flame retardants have a purpose. The American Chemistry Council, an industry trade association, says they offer “an important layer of fire protection by preventing and delaying ignition, slowing the combustion process and making a material self-extinguishing.” They’re in everything from TVs to cell phones to furniture.

But those chemicals don’t belong in people, Fair said. Humans can unintentionally ingest the chemicals by breathing contaminated air, absorbing them through the skin or eating food that contains them.

And Fair said they may get into that food through plastic cooking tools like the ones in the study. “When they come into contact with heat, and that's what cooking utensils are used for, you can get a lot of transfer of these contaminants into your food and into your pots and pans. That's another avenue of exposure, and we should all be trying to lower what we're exposed to.”

To do that, Fair said people may want to consider other options. “It's trying to be aware of all of the consumer products and making better choices - going back to the basics of glass and stainless steel, things that we know are inert and aren't going to transfer pollutants into our bodies.”

Bottom line for Fair: “When we talk about exposure effects, there's no really safe level.”