Should you still be using black plastic? That was the question for many Americans after a study last year discovered high levels of flame retardants in cooking spatulas, sushi trays and kitchen ...

Local burning of trash is also another route of ... Don’t microwave or otherwise heat black plastic containers with food, as heat encourages chemicals to leach out into the food that it is ...

Poor people in vast city slums across the Global South are burning plastic to cook their food, warm their homes and boil water for hot showers. Waste plastic is plentiful and highly flammable.

“Burning plastic releases harmful chemicals such as dioxins, furans and heavy metals into the air, which can have a range of health and welfare impacts such as lung diseases,” Dr Bharadwaj said.

Australian researchers have called for action to reduce the burning of plastic for heating and cooking in developing nations, warning of health risks. In a new study, researchers from Curtin ...

Burning plastic and waste for heating is becoming increasingly common in urban areas. Credit: Nature Cities (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s44284-025-00201-5 ...