From KCRW, I'm Evan Klyman, and you're listening to Good Food. Tis this season for giving,

and for most people that means, well, shopping, of course. We have a whole show for you today

about what books to buy your loved ones this holiday season, but first, let's start with a PSA

on what not to buy buy that black plastic spatula.

Maybe you saw the recent headlines urging you to immediately toss out all your black plastic

cooking tools.

Did that freak you out?

I'll be honest.

It made me very nervous.

What's the deal?

And should I be worried about all that black plastic

in my coffee maker or those black plastic takeout utensils that pile up in my junk drawer? Well,

we've asked journalist Jessica Roy of the San Francisco Chronicle for answers. Hi, Jessica. Hi.

As I understand it, a new peer-reviewed study found dangerous levels of flame retardants in black

plastic kitchen implements.

How did they get there?

So those flame retardants were intentionally added when TV monitors and computer casings

and other household electronics were made.

When those were fabricated, you know, you don't want your TV catching on fire.

And so they would have added that chemical compound to prevent fires from starting.

And so the good news is that this is recycled.

It's a recycled use of those things. That's right. As far as the researchers can tell,

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