Why Does Black Plastic Pose a Bigger Risk Than Other Colors?
You may have heard experts suggest that you should throw out the black plastic utensils and containers in your kitchen and wondered, why just the black ones? All plastics can contain toxic chemicals, but scientists have raised particular concerns about some black plastic products.
The concern centers on flame retardants. These chemicals are added to materials to reduce fire risk, especially in electronics. Some flame retardants, particularly “halogenated flame retardants” have been associated with developmental problems, hormone disruption, and cancer. Due to these risks, many flame retardants have been phased out or restricted. However, several studies have found flame retardants in common household items and toys. In one study, 85% of the products they tested contained flame retardants. How does this happen?
It’s because of electronic waste (called “e-waste”, for short.) Many electronics containing flame retardants — like televisions, computers, and remote controls — are housed in black plastic. When those items are disposed of through an electronic waste recycling program, the black plastic gets shredded and melted down and can be used to create new black plastic products. If flame-retardants were present in the original plastic, those chemicals will carry over into the new recycled material. Electronic waste can also accidentally enter the waste stream, and even small amounts of contamination pose risks.
The color black poses unique challenges that make electronic waste contamination more likely. Recycled plastic is often a mix of different colors, which can look uneven or grayish. Adding black materials helps cover up the uneven color. However, there’s a lack of available black plastic materials because most municipal recycling systems sort their waste plastic with a type of scanner that simply cannot “see” the color black. As a result, a lot of black plastics, like discarded packaging, end up in the landfill or incinerator instead of in the recycling stream. The scanner’s “blindness” results in a lack of black plastics available to be recycled. To fill the gap, electronic-waste plastics — which are processed separately through e-waste programs and are often black — are more readily available.
It’s important to note that the color black itself is not toxic — and that not all black plastics contain flame retardants. The problem stems from the incomplete separation of toxic plastics and the inherent issues with plastics recycling infrastructure and processes. Learn more in our fact sheet about black plastic.
It’s also worth noting that black plastics are not the only plastics of concern. Any recycled plastic, no matter what its color, including those used for food contact, can carry toxic chemicals from the mixed sources of plastic used during recycling. To learn more about how recycled plastics can affect food packaging safety, check out our newest fact sheet.
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