Read this clarification from some embarrassed researchers first
Math errors are the plague of the writing class. Reporters and editors are frequently flummoxed by simple slip-upsand held up to public ridicule. But scientists? They're expected to get it right.
Thus, it must be doubly embarrassing for the editors of the journal Chemosphere. Theyrecently posted a correction to a study about toxic flame retardants in kitchen utensils made of black plastic.
The study had warned that these utensils might pose a significant health risk, leading to media reports advising people to replace their kitchen spatulas and spoons.
We know for a fact that these toxic flame retardants can migrate out of the products that theyre in and into our environment, said Megan Liu, who co-authored the study. Heat, she noted, can make it easier for these chemicals to leach out.
Just a few digits off
However, it turns out that the authors made a math error that overstated the risk.
The original study estimated that kitchen utensils could transfer 34,700 nanograms of a toxic flame retardant (BDE-209) per day, which they compared to the EPA's safe level of 420,000 nanograms per day.
But the authors mistakenly reported the EPA's safe limit as 42,000 nanograms per day, making the estimated exposure appear much closer to the safe limit than it actually was. After correcting the error, they clarified that the actual exposure was much lower than previously suggested.
Despite the error, the study's overall conclusion remains the same, the authors said.The corrected study still states that flame retardants in plastic products are a significant concern, but the risk to consumers is much lower than initially reported.
"This calculation error does not affect the overall conclusion of the paper," the correction reads. The corrected study still ends by saying that the flame retardants "significantly contaminate" the plastic products, which have "high exposure potential."
Theres really no safe level of exposure to these harmful toxic flame retardants, Liusaid, adding these substances can build up in the body.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2024-12-17 19:07:50
