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Comment by EasyMark | Hacker News Reader

Especially since it can build up in the body. Kind of like some vitamins you can have 1000% of the RDA because they are very water-soluble and go through like a sieve anyway, but others get toxic much quicker because they are fat soluble and get stored in fat cells for the long haul.

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How many spatulae are you planning on eating?

It's important to consider that the average person is probably much less likely to eat a spatula that is on fire.

Therefore, simply averaging the flame retardant content of a random sample of spatulas could result in a bias.

It's precisely the ones that are the most toxic that one would expect to be the most edible.

First, you have to find a spatula with the specific compound in question.

Less than 10% of items studied contained the specific compound in the article.

FTA:

    The study examined 203 black plastic household products, including 109 kitchen utensils, 36 toys, 30 hair accessories, and 28 food serviceware products. Of those 203 products, only 20 (10 percent) had any bromine-containing compounds at levels that might indicate contamination from bromine-based flame retardants, like BDE-209. Of the 109 kitchen utensils tested, only nine (8 percent) contained concerning bromine levels.

    "[A] minority of black plastic products are contaminated at levels >50 ppm [bromine]," the study states.

    But that's just bromine compounds. Overall, only 14 of the 203 products contained BDE-209 specifically.

Only 10% across the board, but what’s the probability that one or more of black plastic food tools in a given home contains bromine-based fire retardants?

Probability is a bitch.

It’s adds up with all the other sources of toxic material we are exposed to.

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