Cautionary data currently being analyzed has linked black plastics used in kitchen utensils to potential cancer concerns. Recent studies have pointed out the presence of potentially carcinogenic chemicals in black plastic products. 

This has caused some to ditch plastic in cookware altogether while others are reluctant to make the switch until more definitive data comes along. 

Either way, Gibbs Cancer Center Medical Director Dr. Amy Curtis said there are easy alternatives to plastic cooking utensils. And since materials such as wood, silicone and stainless steel do not carry the same cancer concerns as plastic, cooks at home should consider making the swap. 

“When something is safer or there are safer substitutes, let’s just do that,” she said. 

The concern in question, Dr. Curtis said, involves the materials that make up many run-of-the-mill plastic spatulas and spoons. 

“It’s not the black plastic itself that is concerning, but when heated, contaminants can get into the food. It’s not the plastic, but all the things that contaminate it – the various heavy metals and other things that when heated can leech into the food,” Dr. Curtis said.  

Dr. Curtis said risks would be higher for those who are making three meals a day, seven days a week with a skillet and black plastic spatula versus someone cooking once a week. 

She also said children are at higher risk, as they are with any kind of exposures, simply because carcinogens are much more likely to appear in developing tissues. 

The classic example is a teenage girl exposed to radiation, Dr. Curtis said. She would have a much higher risk of developing breast cancer later in life because during childhood, tissues are growing and dividing, and those mutations can take hold and propagate. 

“You always have to be careful with children,” she said. “Once tissues are stable and in their adult form, there is less cell division.” 

Because it’s an easy switch, Dr. Curtis encourages those cooking with black plastic utensils to replace them with safer alternatives.