Brominated flame retardants with your coffee, ma’am? One lump or two?
Who’d have guessed that so many coffeemakers come pre-loaded with hazardous chemicals before you ever even make it to the pesticides in the coffee itself?
The flame retardant chemicals most commonly used in coffee and tea makers (PBDE) have been implicated in developmental, reproductive, neurotoxicity and thyroid effects in rats, mice and fish, and may also be carcinogenic.
The problem – as usual – is that manufacturers aren’t required to label their products with the materials/chemicals used during production. We’ve been searching for a coffee maker confirmed free of toxic flame retardants for the last two years since we first learned about the problem from EWG. We still haven’t found a single manufacturer who can give us a clear answer after spending countless hours calling to find out if any use safer, non-halogenated flame retardants.
You’ll almost always run into flame retardants in the electrical cords of nearly all appliances, but at least they’re not coming into contact with your drink. So while switching your coffee and tea makers out for a less toxic option may require making changes to your morning ritual, it’ll be worth it to stick with products made from mostly glass and stainless steel.
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