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Nov 02, 2024

New Study: Why You Should Toss Black Takeout Containers

By Alyssa Sybertz Published on Oct. 31, 2024 Black plastic containers and other items were found to contain chemicals that can be harmful to our health If you wanted to, you could easily identify

By Alyssa Sybertz

Published on Oct. 31, 2024

Black plastic containers and other items were found to contain chemicals that can be harmful to our health

If you wanted to, you could easily identify types of food from their takeout container. Clear plastic clamshell? That’s a salad waiting to be shaken. Flat, square box? You know there’s a pizza in there. White wax paper secured with a rubber band? Get ready to dig into a sub. Black container with a plastic top? That screams sushi or Chinese food.

While you’re no doubt happy to get your hands on the food, a new study from the environmental health research and advocacy group Toxic-Free Future suggests that you shouldn’t be too happy if you see a black plastic container: Researchers found that these containers may contain toxic flame retardants. Read on for everything you need to know.

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The short answer: It’s the materials that are being used to make black plastics. “Toxic flame retardants are ending up in black plastic household products because of lax rules on hazardous plastic chemicals and dirty plastic recycling,” explains Megan Liu, the lead author on the study, which was published in the journal Chemosphere, and the science and policy manager at Toxic-Free Future.

These chemicals, which include harmful compounds like deca-BDE, TBBPA and RDP, are permitted in the black plastic that is used to manufacture electronics—not items that we handle on a daily basis and certainly not those that touch our food. “Our results strongly support our hypothesis that black electronic plastics with toxic flame retardants are ‘recycled’ into products like toys, food packaging and spatulas,” says Liu. “The toxic flame retardants contaminate these products, resulting in unnecessary exposures to harmful chemicals.”

What makes these chemicals harmful? “Organohalogen flame retardants are a dangerous class of chemicals due to their persistence, tendency to build up in our bodies and food chain, and toxicity even at low levels of exposure,” Liu says. “They are associated with a variety of impacts on human health, including carcinogenicity, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity and reproductive and developmental toxicity.”

In Liu’s opinion—and in the numerical proof from her study—it’s not. “Flame retardants can leach out of kitchen utensils into food, and it’s alarming to think that we could be eating flame retardants,” she says.

As proof, she points to the cancer-causing flame retardant deca-BDE, which has been banned in the United States and the European Union because of how dangerous it is to human health. “We found levels of deca-BDE between 5 to 1,200 times greater than the European Union’s limit of 10 ppm, including a level of 11,900 ppm in a sushi tray,” says Liu. “This is outrageous when you consider the fact that people eat off of sushi trays!”

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Takeout containers like sushi trays were not the only black plastic items that were analyzed in the study. The researchers also looked at kitchen utensils, toys and hair accessories and found the presence of harmful chemicals. “We, of course, didn’t test all black plastic items, but who knows where else these chemicals could be hiding?” asks Liu. “We are already exposed to toxic flame retardants in a variety of ways, and it is worrisome that we found them in products that touch our food or that children play with.”

Toss, don’t recycle, the ones you have, along with the other kitchen items you need to throw out, and then avoid them as much as possible in the future. “Taking steps to replace black plastic kitchen utensils with safer options like stainless steel or wood can help reduce the risk of toxic flame retardants contaminating food,” suggests Liu. The same goes for toys that you buy for the kids in your life: If you have the option to choose one that’s not made from black plastic, opt for that.

“Other simple ways to reduce exposure to toxic flame retardants include regular cleaning and ventilating to clear out chemicals accumulating in dust or air,” Liu adds. “More ways to reduce your exposure to dust include frequent hand-washing, regular wet-dusting and mopping and vacuuming.”

As for those sushi trays? Maybe make it a date night out the next time you’re craving a California roll.

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. For this piece on the potential dangers of black plastics, Alyssa Sybertz tapped her experience as a longtime health reporter and the author of The OMAD Diet: Intermittent Fasting with One Meal a Day to Burn Fat and Lose Weight to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

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