Contaminated Black-Colored Plastic Product Lawsuits

Black-Colored Plastic Products May Be Carcinogenic

A new study from Toxic-Free Future, an environmental responsibility and product safety group, has found that countless black-colored plastic products might have been contaminated with carcinogenic or cancer-causing chemicals due to an issue with electronic waste recycling processes. Specifically, flame retardant substances used in electronics to prevent electrical fires may have contaminated black-colored plastic products, and repeated exposure to such flame retardants can be dangerous. In some situations, the flame retardants identified in the study can leach from products into the air, where they contaminate dust, food, and water, all of which can be inhaled or ingested unknowingly by people.

Kershaw Talley Barlow is one of the nation’s most trusted trial law firms that focuses on toxic exposure lawsuits. We are currently investigating the Toxic-Free Future report about black-colored plastic products that may have been contaminated with carcinogenic flame retardants to better understand the severity of the contamination and whether a party or parties could be found liable for failing to prevent the product contamination. As trial lawyers with extensive experience with class action lawsuits and mass torts, we are poised to help people and parents nationwide who want to seek justice and compensation if they or a loved one were harmed by toxic exposure related to contaminated black-colored plastic products.

Call (916) 520-6639 now to see if you are eligible to file a lawsuit against a product manufacturer, recycling facility, or another party involved in the process of manufacturing black-colored plastic products.

High Levels of Flame Retardants in Certain Products

Researchers from Toxic-Free Future and the Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment discovered that polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), a class of flame retardants that are considered unsafe at all levels of exposure, could remain intact in new black-colored plastic products that are made using recycled electronics. More than 200 consumer products were checked for unusual bromine levels, which can indicate the presence of flame retardants. The 20 products with the highest levels of detectable bromine were given a second, in-depth analysis.

Product categories that had the highest levels of toxic flame retardants included:

• Children’s toys
• Takeout containers
• Kitchen utensils
• Trays for grocery meat and produce

One of the most alarming products analyzed by the researchers was a black plastic pirate coin bead accessory for children, which had” 22,800 parts per million of flame retardant chemicals – that’s almost 3% by weight,” a researcher explained. Another tray used for sushi had 11,900 parts per million of decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE). The common thread among all the contaminated products is that they used black-colored plastic in one way or another.

Overall, 70% of the product samples tested by the researchers contained decaBDE, which was banned by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2021 due to its link to severe health issues like cancer. Using just one plastic kitchen utensil a day that was made using black-colored recycled materials could expose someone to unsafe levels of decaBDE.

Harm Caused by Flame Retardant Exposure

Exposure to different flame retardants like decaBDE has been linked to various health conditions, including but not limited to:

• Cancer
• Endocrine disruptions
• Thyroid issues
• Fetal development complications
• Child development complications
• Child neurobehavioral issues
• Reproductive system issues
• Immune system failure or toxicity

Currently, major health and safety organizations do not consider there to be any “safe level” of daily exposure to decaDBE, PBDE, and other brominated flame retardants. In other words, the smallest amount of exposure can be dangerous, especially because decaDBE and PBDE bioaccumulate, which means they remain in the body for many years. For this reason, someone who is exposed to a tiny amount of flame retardants by using a black-colored plastic product each day could eventually be put at a concerningly high risk of the health conditions listed above. Children may have the worst risk of suffering adverse health conditions because they are still growing and developing.

Can You Test for Exposure to Brominated Flame Retardants?

Laboratory testing for bromine poisoning is limited and difficult. Most blood tests that might be available to the average person or patient are not accurate enough to detect decaDBE and PBDE in microscopic amounts. For this reason, it is advised that you talk to your doctor or your child’s doctors if you have any concerns about possible exposure through the use of black-colored plastic products. Also, you should discontinue the use of black-colored plastic products where you can, particularly by carefully selecting what toys your child plays with on a regular basis.

Talk to KTB to See If You Have a Case

The implications of the Toxic-Free Future study are massive. Anyone who has used black-colored plastic products in recent years could have been unknowingly exposed to unsafe levels of flame retardants left in the product due to an imprecise recycling and manufacturing process. At Kershaw Talley Barlow, our trial attorneys are committed to getting to the bottom of this situation through in-depth research and collaboration with third-party experts that we trust.

If you think you or your child might be experiencing unusual health conditions related to the use of black-colored plastic products and toys, we would like to hear from you. Using our 100+ years of combined legal experience, we can determine if you have the grounds to file a lawsuit and what party might be liable for your family’s injuries and losses. Start by scheduling a free case evaluation with our toxic exposure attorneys now.

Call (916) 520-6639 now to speak with a member of our firm about your potential case.