Your at-home coffee machine may be pushing you toward a cancer-related death, doctors say.
Experts are warning against using coffee makers made of black plastic over fears the material contains high levels of cancer-causing chemicals and flame retardants.
Kitchen utensils, electronics and coffee machines are made of recycled plastic that is melted together from different colored items, which gives it a messy and unappealing color.
As a result, manufacturers commonly add a dye known as carbon black to the recycled products to turn them into a consistent black color to look sleeker and uniform.
Studies have shown that carbon black contains numerous compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), that are carcinogenic.
As a result, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified carbon black as a carcinogen in 2020, despite limited evidence on its effects on human health.
To ensure that their now-black plastic products are immune to electrical fires, they also add in brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) during production
A 2024 Chemosphere study has also found that exposure to items containing high levels of BFRs and OPFRs can increase the risk of cancer, cause neurotoxicity and hormone disruption.
Experts are warning against using coffee makers made of black plastic over fears of containing high levels of cancer-causing chemicals and flame retardants. (Stock image)
Megan Liu, study co-author and science and policy manager at Toxic-Free Future, said: ‘Companies continue to use toxic flame retardants in plastic electronics, and that’s resulting in unexpected and unnecessary toxic exposures.
‘These cancer-causing chemicals shouldn’t be used to begin with, but with recycling, they are entering our environment and our homes in more ways than one. The high levels we found are concerning.’
Experts believe that if your black plastic coffee maker is damaged or is consistently exposed to boiling water for long periods of time, the cancerous chemicals may start melting during the coffee-making process and slowly trickle down into your coffee cup.
Once they enter the body, these chemicals act as endocrine disruptors, interfering with the body’s hormonal system.
This causes damage to cells and could lead to mutations that may become cancerous.
While there is no risk with occasional or rare exposure to carbon black, BFRs and OPFRs, all three of these carcinogens can accumulate in the body and cause damage to vital organs such as the thyroid, breasts, lung and heart.
A 2022 Environmental Pollution study found that long-term carbon black exposure might damage lung cell DNA, cause inflammation and pave the way for lung cancer development.
A 2017 Duke University study also noted that due to excessive exposure to BFRs and OPFRs through kitchen products such as coffee machines, doctors are now finding these chemicals in the blood, breast milk and urine in nearly all of the Americans they tested.
If your black plastic coffee maker is constantly exposed to boiling water, the cancerous chemicals may start melting and slowly trickle down into your coffee cup. (Stock image)
An April 2024 study that tracked over 1,000 Americans over two decades found people with high levels of flame retardants in their blood had a 300 percent higher risk of dying from cancer than people with low levels of the substances in their blood.
They also found people were most susceptible to developing thyroid and breast cancer, which are known to be linked to endocrine disrupting chemicals.
Similarly, research from Harvard School of Public Health found that 80 percent of women who were undergoing the fertility treatment in vitro fertilization to get pregnant had higher levels of flame retardants in their urine as compared to those who were not.
Megan Liu, science and policy manager at Toxic-Free Future
Those with the highest levels of the chemicals in their body had a harder time getting pregnant, staying pregnant and giving birth to a live child than people with lower levels of the chemicals in their body.
Apart from damage to American adults, the NIH also warns that flame retardants and their byproducts are especially harmful to children as their organs are still developing and they are more likely to be repeatedly exposed to them by placing plastic items in their mouth or playing with them.
‘The health of women and children must be prioritized over the chemical industry profits. We need less poison plastic, more safer chemicals and materials, and an end to plastic ingredient secrecy,’ Liu said.
To avoid exposure, experts suggest opting for shorter, cooler brews that are BPA-free and made of stainless steel or glass parts.
Furthermore, they suggest cleaning your machine and using filtered water to stop mineral and dirt build-up to limit exposure.
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