PlasticList pioneered this research area with appropriately conservative conclusions. At laboratory.love, we're making this data more accessible while maintaining scientific integrity. Our risk assessments represent a practical interpretation of point-in-time measurements—useful perhaps for identifying patterns and informing personal choices, especially for sensitive populations (pregnant women, nursing mothers, young children). While not yet sufficient for definitive policy recommendations, these results offer valuable insights into chemical exposure patterns in everyday products.
Note: Results reflect single-point measurements from limited samples. Testing methodologies have inherent uncertainties, and results may vary between methods and samples.
This is an evolving project and bugs in our risk calculations are possible. If you spot a discrepancy between what we report and the underlying measurements, please let us know. Raw Certificates of Analysis (COAs) from Light Labs are available upon request for any product in our database— contact us to receive them.
At laboratory.love (a project of Very Little Gravitas Indeed, LLC), we've developed a systematic approach to assess chemical exposure risks in consumer products. Our methodology aims to make complex chemical test results more accessible while maintaining scientific rigor.
We analyze three main categories of chemicals found in plastics:
For each category, we assign risk levels based on the percentage of the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) that would be reached if all your daily food contained similar levels of these chemicals. The TDI is a scientific estimate of the amount of a substance that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without significant health risk.
Percentages reflect one typical serving, averaged across all samples we tested of a product. Because the TDI scales with body weight, ratings default to a 70kg adult; use the Child/Adult toggle on the results pages to see the more conservative 14kg-child rating (5x higher relative exposure).
Even if all your daily food had this level of chemicals, you'd only reach 25-50% of the most conservative safety limit.
If all your daily food had this level, you'd likely reach 50-150% of the most conservative safety limit. Consider reducing exposure if you're in a sensitive group.
If all your daily food had this level, you'd likely exceed 150% of the most conservative safety limit. Consider alternatives, especially for frequent use.
To put these percentages in context: if a product shows a "Medium Risk" level of 5% for phthalates, this means that consuming a typical serving of this product exposes you to 5% of the daily safety limit for phthalates. While this single exposure is within safe limits, regular consumption of products with similar levels could lead to higher cumulative exposure.
Our risk assessment methodology is based on established Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) values and considers the cumulative impact of chemical exposure through food products. We've chosen conservative thresholds that err on the side of caution.
We use EFSA's cumulative risk assessment approach, converting all phthalates to DEHP equivalents:
TDI Limit: 50,000 ng/kg body weight/day
We sum the total bisphenols (BPA, BPS, BPF) found per serving and compare to the TDI:
TDI Limit: 0.2 ng/kg body weight/day
We convert substitutes to DEHT equivalents using these factors:
TDI Limit: 1,000,000 ng/kg body weight/day
We set risk thresholds at 2.5% and 5.0% of TDI based on a simple principle: if everything you ate daily had similar chemical levels as the tested product, you'd still remain safely within established limits. At 7.5%+, you'd likely exceed those limits. This conservative approach builds in additional safety margins beyond standard risk assessments. Your actual personal risk estimate depends partly on your confidence in current research and regulatory frameworks.
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