Some black plastic kitchen utensils may contain flame retardants, according to a 2024 study of black-plastic household products sold in the United States. The finding is a reason to consider alternatives—not proof that every black utensil is contaminated, or that using a particular utensil has caused illness.
What the study found
In a 2024 paper in Chemosphere, researchers screened 203 black-plastic household products sold in the United States for bromine. Products above 50 parts per million of bromine received further analysis for flame retardants and polymer type. The 203 products were drawn from multiple household categories; they were not all kitchen utensils, and the study was not a representative survey of every product on the market. Read the study in Chemosphere.
The study abstract reports that flame retardants were detected in 85% of the analyzed products, with total concentrations reaching as high as 22,800 milligrams per kilogram. “Analyzed products” is the relevant denominator: the researchers conducted chemical analysis after screening, so this percentage should not be read as the share of all black utensils—or even all 203 screened items—that contain flame retardants.
The detected chemicals included deca-BDE, also called BDE-209, as well as replacement flame retardants. The researchers reported higher summed flame-retardant levels in styrene-based plastics than in polypropylene and nylon in the products they studied. Their paper raises concern that recycling plastics from electronic waste without adequate controls and transparency can carry flame retardants into household goods. That interpretation does not identify the source of every sampled product.
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What the findings do—and do not—say about risk
The paper estimates exposure; it does not report measurements of what individual utensil users absorb. Its abstract gives a median modeled BDE-209 intake estimate of 34,700 nanograms per day from contaminated kitchen utensils and says that estimate exceeded modeled intake from dust and diet. This is a model result, not a measured dose for a particular person or a prediction of that person’s health outcome.
A 2025 corrigendum and a later correction-related record are listed with the study’s PubMed record. The correction text and its effect on the reported findings are not established here. Read the abstract’s exposure estimate and percentages with that qualification rather than treating them as settled estimates of personal risk.
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The distinction matters: a chemical’s potential hazard is not the same as proof that a specific utensil has caused harm. The study does not document clinical outcomes among utensil users, establish how many households own affected products, or show that black color itself causes contamination.
What to do with black plastic utensils
If you would rather limit plastic tools in food preparation, replacing a black plastic spatula, spoon, or turner with another material is a practical precaution. Consumer Reports suggests bamboo, wood, stainless steel, and food-grade or medical-grade silicone for kitchen tools. Its guidance is general: it does not establish that every item made from these materials is risk-free, nor did the study test those replacement products. See Consumer Reports’ cookware and kitchen-tool guidance.
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- Check what the tool is made of. Look at the product description and manufacturer information for the utensil’s material and any coating.
- Confirm it is intended for food contact. Do not assume that a material name alone establishes suitability for cooking.
- Follow the care and use instructions. Check heat limits, cookware compatibility, and cleaning guidance for the specific product.
- Replace selectively if that fits your needs. The available evidence does not identify specific brands or models as contaminated, so there is no basis here for naming a particular product to discard.
What remains unknown
The study raises a concern about flame-retardant contamination in some black-plastic household products, including kitchen utensils. It does not show that every black utensil contains these chemicals, identify a contaminated brand, quantify the share of households with an affected tool, or establish illness caused by using one. The correction record also means the cited abstract figures should be interpreted cautiously until the correction’s specific implications are clear.
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