Is your kitchen drawer full of plastic cooking utensils, which could harm you and your family? Toxic byproducts formed during the plastic manufacturing process and the ingredients of plastic can have harmful impacts on our health. Studies show that plastic utensils produce toxic byproducts when they come into contact with heat and release bits of plastic into our food.
In September 2019, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment warned that components of plastic utensils can migrate into food and become poisonous to the body. Countless studies such as this highlight compelling reasons to ditch plastic cooking utensils and upgrade to more sustainable and healthy kitchen tools.
Plastic tools melt after regular cooking and leach microplastics into our food. The more you cook with them, the more plastic inevitably ends up in your food. Plastic tools also degrade quickly, meaning they're not sustainable or particularly hygienic.
Let's spill the dirty truth about why plastic kitchen tools could harm our health and planet!
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You may have noticed that plastic utensils chip, crack, melt, and become brittle when regularly exposed to hot pots and pans, or even the dishwasher. When they break down into smaller particles, these plastic bits end up in your food—and eventually in your stomach.
Scientists have been warning us for years about the dangers of continuous exposure to plastic. Over time, exposure to high doses could lead to severe illnesses.The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) states that consuming as little as 90 micrograms of plastic from cooking utensils can pose significant health risks. When heated, plastic can release harmful byproducts called oligomers. These byproducts occur during the manufacturing process of plastic. The components of plastic are also toxic.
Black plastic utensils, a common sight in many households, are particularly hazardous. A 2018 University of Plymouth study revealed that these utensils, often made from electronic waste, contain flame retardants like bromine and heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. These substances can harm the nervous and immune systems, kidneys, liver, and lungs. The colour of black plastics, derived from carbon black, is essentially a form of soot created by incomplete combustion of petroleum, coal, or vegetable matter. The study found toxic chemicals in 40 per cent of black plastic utensils, toys, thermoses, and cocktail stirrers, which tested up to 30 times above the level deemed safe.
Brominated flame retardants are also present in black plastic. These help make utensils heat-resistant and durable. Such additives also pose risks to our health. A study from the University of Birmingham (2018) found that 34% of plastic kitchen utensils analysed contained measurable concentrations of Bfrs.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) states that carbon black contains many compounds, some of which have carcinogenic properties, like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This has led them to conclude that carbon black is "possibly carcinogenic to humans."
While you might think you're saving big by buying plastic, it will cost you more in the long run. Unlike metal tools, plastic utensils have a much shorter lifespan.
Selecting kitchen tools made from highly durable, non-porous materials like stainless steel or titanium are a much better investment. Metal kitchen tools also highly flexible and durable. They won't break down under high heat, or release toxic chemicals and are simple to maintain.
The vast majority of black plastic utensils can't be recycled. Their colour makes them invisible to the infrared technology used in recycling processes. Many black plastic products end up in landfills, incinerators, or even our waterways, impacting our environment.
Have you ever wondered why plastic products seem so flexible? Chemical additives called phthalates are what give plastic these properties. However, some of these additives come with serious health risks and are known endocrine disruptors. That means they can interfere with hormone systems and have been linked to asthma, developmental disabilities, obesity, and even breast cancer.
According to research published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society (2018), plastics contain many dangerous, endocrine-disrupting chemicals that leach and infect humans and the surrounding environment. They’ve also been linked to diabetes, reproductive disorders, and neurological impairments of developing foetuses and children.
While the long-term health implications of ingesting microplastics remain unclear, the results of a collaborative study between scientists at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, SALT Lofoten, and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) this year have been concerning. They show that plastic cookware is likely adding thousands of microplastics to the human diet each year. This highlights the need for collective action to address this issue and the importance of switching to healthy alternatives.
So now you know! As with all cookware, it is essential to consider production materials and how they may ultimately affect your well-being.
While plastic utensils might seem like an affordable alternative, they can be very costly for your health and the environment in the long run. These are just some critical reasons to eliminate your plastic kitchen tools. Considering the high potential for health problems and environmental hazards, replace your plastic kitchen utensils with better alternatives.
If you've been cooking with the freshest, organic ingredients and non-toxic Solidteknics pans, it's now time to take the next step. There's no excuse not to replace all your plastic kitchen utensils with solid cooking tools.
Check out our Australian-made stainless steel and titanium Kitchen Tools! They're non-toxic, easy to use, durable, and built to last centuries, making them a better option for your health and the planet.
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German Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), 2019, Polyamide Kitchen Utensils: Keep contact with hot food as brief as possible, https://mobil.bfr.bund.de/cm/349/polyamide-kitchen-utensils-keep-contact-with-hot-food-as-brief-as-possible.pdf
Journal of the Endocrine Society, 2018, Chemicals Used in Plastic Materials: An Estimate of the Attributable Disease Burden and Costs in the United States, https://academic.oup.com/jes/article/8/2/bvad163/7513992
Kuang, J 2018, Brominated flame retardants in black plastic kitchen utensils: Concentrations and human exposure implications, University of Birmingham, Science Direct, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969717321708
Turner, A, 2018, Black plastics: Linear and circular economies, hazardous additives and marine pollution, University of Plymouth, Science Direct, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160412018302125?via%3Dihub
Plymouth Marine Laboratory, 2024, New study shows plastic and non-stick cookware is likely adding thousands of microplastics into the human diet, https://www.pml.ac.uk/news/New-study-shows-plastic-and-non-stick-cookware-is#:~:text=Our%20results%20were%20concerning%20%2D%20showing,microplastic%20load%20in%20prepared%20food.
Schwarez, J 2024, The Dark Side of Black Plastics, McGill University, https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/environment-did-you-know/dark-side-black-plastics
Cole et al, Microplastic and PTFE contamination of food from cookware, Science Direct, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724027232
Beyond Plastics, Why Black Plastics are Bad News, https://www.beyondplastics.org/fact-sheets/black-plastic
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Summaries & Evaluations, 1996, Carbon Black, https://inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol65/carbon.html
Turner, A 2018, Black plastics: Linear and circular economies, hazardous additives and marine pollution,https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160412018302125?via%3Dihub
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