Demystifying science | The risks of silicone

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In theory, no. But researchers suspect that these utensils can emit nanoparticles potentially harmful to health, particularly if they are of poor quality or used at too high a temperature.

“At the moment, I consider silicone utensils safe when used according to the manufacturer’s recommendations,” comments Linda Hanssen, researcher at the Norwegian Air Research Institute in Tromso. I use some myself, even though I threw away my plastic utensils and dishes. But it is possible that silicone may pose health risks in the future. »

As part of her doctorate, the Norwegian chemist showed that these siloxanes are present in the blood of Norwegian women, probably due to the use of creams and beauty products. “Then they go into the environment and cause problems for fish,” she says.

Siloxanes could in particular cause autoimmune problems.

Based on this study and various others, the European Union has restricted the use of siloxanes D4, D5 and D6 in certain beauty products. But Canada has not followed suit. Nor the United States.

According to a Spanish study published in 2022 in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, silicone muffin pans may, in some cases, emit D4, D5 and D6 when in the oven at 200°C (400°F) for four hours.

In interview with The Press, Thomas Karluss, head of the silicone file at the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a North American industrial and political lobbying group, spoke about the Spanish study. According to him, silicone utensils do not all have the same quality of silicone, and Spanish researchers have not mentioned health problems linked to siloxanes D4, D5 and D6. He claims that the European Union has used a new definition of bioaccumulation in the human body to guide their use.

Breast prostheses

One area where silicone toxicity is more widely recognized is certainly plastic surgery. “Liquid silicone has been banned, but the casings of breast prostheses are still made of silicone,” reports Henry Dijkman, biologist from the University of Applied Sciences (HAN) in the Netherlands, who published a study on the subject in 2021 in the magazine JAMA Network Open.

In the first decade after implantation, a disintegration of the silicone covering is observed in a third of women, explains the Arnhem researcher. The silicone particles circulating in the organs have, in animals, toxic effects compatible with the problems experienced by between 10% and 20% of women with breast implants, according to Mr. Dijkman.

Is he concerned about silicone utensils and the D4, D5 and D6 siloxanes they can generate under high temperatures? “The gastrointestinal barrier probably blocks any particles that can escape from these utensils. But it is true that D4, D5 and D6 are smaller, and therefore potentially more toxic. »

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