GLP podcast: ‘Spatula Gate’—The black plastic chemical scare collapses

In early October a small study published in an obscure science journal went viral for alleging that cookware and children’s toys made of black plastic contained previously undetected toxic chemicals. The researchers speculated that these products, made from recycled electronics, contained potentially harmful levels of flamed retardants linked to a variety of maladies, including cancer and reproductive harm.

The press boosted the study incessantly well into December, encouraging the public to toss their black plastic products to protect themselves. NBC even pointed readers to affiliate websites where they could buy non-toxic spatula sets. But the scandal came crashing down when a chemist at McGill University spotted an embarrassing error in the study: the researchers, employees at the anti-chemical group Toxic-Free Future, had exaggerated the public’s exposure to flame retardants by a factor of 10. Black plastic wasn’t so hazardous, after all.

Critics quickly piled on, highlighting other serious limitations in the research; the journal that published the paper also came under scrutiny from independent experts for publishing multiple low-quality studies in the last year. The months-long plastic scandal came crashing down in a matter of days.

Join Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 297 of the Science Facts and Fallacies podcast as they break down the bad science and misleading headlines that fueled another baseless chemical scare.

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Dr. Liza Dunn is a medical toxicologist and the medical affairs lead at Bayer Crop Science. Follow her on X @DrLizaMD

Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow him on X @camjenglish