If you have a spatula made of recycled black plastic, go to your kitchen, grab it and throw it in the rubbish. Immediately.
That is the alarming message from a new study published in the journal Chemosphere.
Cooking with any plastic utensil has long been seen as worrisome because heat can cause chemicals in the plastic to migrate into the food you are about to eat.
But researchers are now saying products made from recycled black plastic contain even more toxic components.
The authors of the Chemosphere study found that everyday household items that are made of black recycled plastic, including kitchen utensils, takeaway containers, toys and hair accessories, have a high chance of containing dangerous levels of flame retardants and other toxic chemicals.