Black-colored plastic used for kitchen utensils and toys

Among the tested products, toy pirate coin beads used in children’s costumes showed the highest concentration of flame retardants, up to 22,800 parts per million. That’s a startling 3% of the toy’s total weight.

These dangerous chemicals are typically used in the casings of electronics like televisions. Researchers suspect these compounds ended up in consumer goods due to errors during the recycling process, leading to unintended contamination.