Do you remember where you were when you heard that black plastic utensils might contain toxic material? I was in my kitchen, making my weekly batch of soup with a black plastic utensil. At the time, I shrugged it off, because I couldn’t bear to think of my kitchen without my trusted tools. It turns out, I was right to trust my instincts. There’s been an important update to the initial report—black plastic utensils are actually less toxic.
Why are black plastic utensils less toxic than we thought?
It comes down to a math error, USA Today reported. The researchers miscalculated how much of the toxic flame retardant a person could safely ingest, which is called a “reference dose.” Originally, they calculated a reference dose of 42,000 nanograms per day as toxic for consumption.
However, this math was wrong: The actual reference dose is 420,000 nanograms per day. The amount that people could safely ingest is 10 times greater than previously thought.
Are black plastic cooking utensils still safe to use?
Imagine if a report went out that you could only eat one chocolate chip cookie each day before the ingredients made you sick. Then, upon closer inspection, someone noticed that the math was wrong, and you could actually eat 10 chocolate chip cookies per day. Of course, eating chocolate chip cookies would still be linked to an increased risk, but the threat level has been significantly downgraded.
That’s exactly what’s happening with black plastic utensils. Technically, the toxic flame retardant included in these utensils is still present, and it still poses an increased risk of cancer, but the amount that people actually consume remains low. It’s up to you if you want to throw out any remaining kitchen utensils, but I will hold on to my beloved spatulas and slotted spoons.
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