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Potential hazards of black plastic spatulas, etc.

Alex

By Alex
in Kitchen Consumer

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Alex

Alex

Posted
Posted

Time to throw them out?

 

Quote

In 2018, Turner published one of the earliest papers positing that black plastic products were likely regularly being made from recycled electronic waste. The clue was the plastic’s concerning levels of flame retardants. In some cases, the mix of chemicals matched the profile of those commonly found in computer and television housing, many of which are treated with flame retardants to prevent them from catching fire.

 

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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

AlaMoi

AlaMoi

Posted
Posted

I've opened up a lot of computers, some tv's . . . the theory that there's so much black plastic in there is , , , , well - let's say unfounded....

 

and if the author had any inkling of how e-waste is ground up for metals extraction, that would be a revelation.

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Laurentius

Laurentius

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, AlaMoi said:

I've opened up a lot of computers, some tv's . . . the theory that there's so much black plastic in there is , , , , well - let's say unfounded....

 

and if the author had any inkling of how e-waste is ground up for metals extraction, that would be a revelation.

 

Can you please explain how the black case material is recycled?

dcarch

dcarch

Posted
Posted

The black plastic used for food related items are so black, 100 % black, I don't see any black color in any electronic plastic components.

 

Why would manufacturers recycle electronic components to make cheap kitchen tools when carbon black is so much cheaper, easier to incorporate into plastics and safe to use? 

 

dcarch

AlaMoi

AlaMoi

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Laurentius said:

 

Can you please explain how the black case material is recycled?

various components are manually removed from the circuit boards, the rest is ground up into tiny pieces.

the valuable metals - think gold - are extracted by chemically dissolving "everything else"

there is no 'black plastic waste stream'

Laurentius

Laurentius

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, dcarch said:

I don't see any electronic parts end up in you kitchen black spatulas.

 

Oh, I guess I read the article differently.  I thought the source of the black plastic containing retardant was the case material, not electronics.  An awful lot of that in the waste stream, yes? 

AlaMoi

AlaMoi

Posted
Posted

no.

the sliced, diced, chopped and mince recycled plastics, regardless of color, are purchased/used by 'specialty' companies that produce 'recycled' products.

any implement made / marketed for food contact will have none of it.

dscheidt

dscheidt

Posted
Posted
17 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

no.

the sliced, diced, chopped and mince recycled plastics, regardless of color, are purchased/used by 'specialty' companies that produce 'recycled' products.

any implement made / marketed for food contact will have none of it.

Your faith in Chinese manufacturing is perhaps less than well placed.  The black plastic is hard to separate by composition, so it ends up ground into very fine powder, where it used as a filler, instead of carbon black or some other virgin material.  

 

 

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Laurentius

Laurentius

Posted
Posted

Wow, this thread sure caromed off the topic of the study...

 

Can we agree that: (a) the black material is from cases (not the electronics themselves); and (b) that the black utensils were tested and found to contain the fire-retardent compounds? 

rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

I use these :

 

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-65191-Grips-Flexible-Turner/dp/B0000CCY1T/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1L9HX87H7ZJZQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9IjTRd4iBwKobg_RxlJ6G2WPhVKRbIgT4ArSyjKagNzNXjiAw4x_zlnlqSm7ZChVEkyeCbA1xbF10_jZR6jF-ud4eEiBVff5vMIUgM5SMpxcFMxgF-k8yEOqILC40kWnnc2CY6U76o49ZodshnKzDPrAN_hEM7acXV7pGVQnbjovoTuxJ0BhkCXp_QdksCPSRtaxAi-BATVolIAamUNzVK3yrEZmOqqNbM1FDYO9uqHC_CfeaEIr4yoqEZbxoC5vEiU1CL5QIQAx4C2WHyuPiK0f_ajJfBi226bRVc8tG8E.HhPcVb7Pv9PZ75zcTMvqxtYYtlezt3Bq9T39HKZdIAY&dib_tag=se&keywords=oxo%2Bblack%2Bspatula&qid=1730480549&sprefix=oxo%2Bblack%2Bspatula%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-1&th=1

 

Oxo black nylon spatulas.  

 

wonder if the ' black ' is from those black plastic bit , ground fine .

 

Ill still use them , but , ...

Tropicalsenior

Tropicalsenior

Posted
Posted

Been thinking a lot about this situation and I realize that my spatulas are all at least 20 years old and probably were made before any of this came up. Besides that if I've been using them for 20 years, any damage they're going to cause it's already been caused and it's like locking the Barn Door after the horse has been stolen. My black spatulas are staying right where they are.

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AlaMoi

AlaMoi

Posted
Posted (edited)
45 minutes ago, Laurentius said:

Can we agree that:

 

 

can  we agree . . .

no.

 

" . . . published one of the earliest papers positing . . ." 

positing is presuming an assumption is truth.  it is not proof

 

"In some cases, the mix of chemicals matched the profile of those commonly found in computer and television housing

So the demand for black plastic appears to be met “in no insignificant part” via recycled e-waste,"

absolutely no suggestion where this "truth" comes from...  except that . . . . the computers resemble the spatulas, not the spatulas resembling the ewaste.  and take note... the mix of (unspecified) chemicals  . . . again with the almost truth . . .

 

" . . . another paper from 2018 . . ."
...not cited or linked, apparently anonymous?

 

either the lady has some factual information, or not.   and she's not willing to share those sources....

 

zealots have done horrendous damage -

"vaccines cause autism" - a medical doctor with a pet theory deliberately and intentionally "adjusted" his data to prove his point.

many children now left with life long health issues because he was believed.

 

"CA wines have high lead content" - another totally false OMG rumor - the 'author' spiked the wines . . .

 

"apple juice for babies contains arsenic" - another ignorant beyond belief zealot.  there's more than one flavor of arsenic . . . btw . . .

 

if one has concerns about flame retardants - check your child's sleepwear.  while the world was in a tizzy over PFOAs in Teflon, children's sleepwear - by Federal law - was loaded with PFOA as flame retardant....

 

 

Edited by AlaMoi (log)
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Laurentius

Laurentius

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, AlaMoi said:

 

can  we agree . . .

no.

 

" . . . published one of the earliest papers positing . . ." 

positing is presuming an assumption is truth.  it is not proof

 

"In some cases, the mix of chemicals matched the profile of those commonly found in computer and television housing

So the demand for black plastic appears to be met “in no insignificant part” via recycled e-waste,"

absolutely no suggestion where this "truth" comes from...  except that . . . . the computers resemble the spatulas, not the spatulas resembling the ewaste

 

" . . . another paper from 2018 . . ."
...not cited or linked, apparently anonymous?

 

either the lady has some factual information, or not.   and she's not willing to share those sources....

 

zealots have done horrendous damage -

"vaccines cause autism" - a medical doctor with a pet theory deliberately and intentionally "adjusted" his data to prove his point.

many children now left with life long health issues because he was believed.

 

"CA wines have high lead content" - another totally false OMG rumor - the 'author' spiked the wines . . .

 

"apple juice for babies contains arsenic" - another ignorant beyond belief zealot.  there's more than one flavor of arsenic . . . btw . . .

 

if one has concerns about flame retardants - check your child's sleepwear.  while the world was in a tizzy over PFOAs in Teflon, children's sleepwear - by Federal law - was loaded with PFOA as flame retardant....

 

 

 

Wow, so we can't agree this study addressed case material, and utensils were tested and allegedly showed the presence of those compounds?

 

I'm not saying the study was good, true, or anything significant.  I'm just trying (unsuccessfully) to focus on what the study is and isn't about.

AlaMoi

AlaMoi

Posted
Posted

"The black plastic is hard to separate by composition, so it ends up ground into very fine powder, where it used as a filler, instead of carbon black or some other virgin material.   "

 

so if it cannot be separated, how is ground into a fine power sold as a substitute for carbon black?

AlaMoi

AlaMoi

Posted
Posted

"I'm not saying the study was good, true, or anything significant.  I'm just trying (unsuccessfully) to focus on what the study is and isn't about. "

 

uhmm. okay.

might not be good

might not be true

might not be significant

 

why are we discussing it if what it is about isn't?

Tropicalsenior

Tropicalsenior

Posted
Posted

For me, what I am saying is that personally I just don't give a damn. There have been too many studies, everybody's doing one. One day coffee is good for you the next day, if you drink coffee you're going to die. I will never forget the research survey about shrimp on a treadmill. What the heck good did that do anybody. If you live your life scared by every little study they have there's no way that you can live your life. It took me a long time to find the perfect spatulas for the way I cook and they're staying right where they are. I don't care if they're made out of computer cases or river sludge they suit me just fine.

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dscheidt

dscheidt

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

"The black plastic is hard to separate by composition, so it ends up ground into very fine powder, where it used as a filler, instead of carbon black or some other virgin material.   "

 

so if it cannot be separated, how is ground into a fine power sold as a substitute for carbon black?

Who said it can't be separated?  Composition is not color. 

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

I received a black plastic spatula tonight.

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

gfweb

gfweb

Posted
Posted
16 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I received a black plastic spatula tonight.

 

 

I'd call homeland security

 

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

I stand corrected.  I checked the product listing and my new spatula is "Midnight Blue".  Sure looks black to me though.

 

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Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

  • 3 weeks later...
BeeZee

BeeZee

Posted
Posted

I may replace my black plastic/nylon things just because they are so old, and there will be deals for Black Friday - which brings up a thought I had in that if they are (let's say) 15+ years old, maybe they are less likely to be "contaminated"?

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"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast" - Oscar Wilde

  • 3 weeks later...
Alex

Alex

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Follow-up: They're not as risky as previously thought -- the researchers miscalculated.

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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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