Black Plastic Kitchen Utensils

Black nylon/plastic spatulas and serving spoons.

50Moderate burden · out of 100

Cleaner swapStainless steel or solid wood utensils

How this score is built

100Start
77Chemical hazard 5 × 4.6−23
63.4Everyday exposure 4 × 3.4−13.6
50Persistence 5 × 2.6−13, then rounded to 50
ModerateThe band50 sits in 40–59.

What each input rests on

The three ratings behind the score, and the studies each rests on
Input	Rating	Evidence
Chemical hazard	5/10	unsourced input
Everyday exposure	4/10	Bromine was detected in 31 of 69 black plastic utensils bought before 2011 and 3 of 27 bought after; in simulated cooking, about 20% on average of the brominated flame retardants transferred from 10 utensils to hot oil, an estimated median 60 ng/day of total BFRs. Brominated flame retardants in black plastic kitchen utensils: Concentrations and human exposure implications · Sci Total Environ 2018 DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.173 · PMID 28847134 · Abstract · read 2026-10-26
Persistence	5/10	unsourced input

Ratings are editorial. A study listed here supports the rating; it did not compute it. How the index is built

What this means for you

Some black plastic kitchenware is made from recycled electronic plastic and can carry brominated flame retardants that migrate into hot food. Metal or wood avoids the issue.

Evidence strength: moderate

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Lower-exposure choices

Cast Iron CookwareMinimal · Kitchen

Stainless Steel CookwareMinimal · Kitchen

Silicone BakewareLow · Kitchen

All 16 kitchen entries, highest burden first →