A study that found flame retardants in black plastic kitchen utensils sparked headlines urging people to throw them out. However, a correction to the study later received less attention. The correction clarifies that the findings regarding black plastic kitchen utensils were not a core finding of the study and the issue highlights the spread of scientific misinformation and the difficulty in correcting it.
Headlines warning people to throw out their black plastic kitchen utensils live on, as do social media posts warning of “secret toxins” in your kitchen. Less prominent? A correction to the peer-reviewed study those headlines were based on.A study showing flame-retardant chemicals in black plastic products that touch food prompted headlines telling readers to throw out black plastic in their kitchen. The correction months later got less attention.
"The key thing our study does is provide evidence that when toxic flame retardants are used in electronics, they can make their waywhere they are not needed or expected," said Megan Liu of Seattle environmental group Toxic-Free Future, who co-wrote the study. Hazardous flame retardants are typically used in black plastic, such as television casings, and when those products are recycled the chemicals can wind up in other household products — including those that touch food.
"It took far too long to get retracted," Caulfield said. "Retractions, unless they're quickly done and clearly communicated can take on a political spin such that the retraction itselfActing fast to retract is important to maintain public trust and to make sure that the scientific literature is as pollution-free as possible, he said.
An immediate recommendation, like to start or stop doing X based on a single study, is rarely evidence-based.
TOXIC CHEMICALS BLACK PLASTIC SCIENTIFIC STUDY CORRECTION MISINFORMATION
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