Plastic stir spoon smell

I'm a new homebrewer and inherited some of my equipment from a friend. I've been using a plastic stir spoon that has Fermenthaus stamped on it, looks like this
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/24-stirring-spoon-plastic.html
One thing I noticed while boiling just water and removing the spoon from it, is that it smells very much like plastic or rubber. Not the water or the pot, but if I put my nose up to the spoon and smell.
Is there a chance this could lead to off-flavors in my beer? Should I ditch it for a stainless steel stir spoon?

I figure a brand like 'Fermenthaus' it's gotta be designed with brewing in mind but I want to make sure I'm good to keep this thing in my boil kettle.

Thanks

As a general rule, if there's a smell/ taste/ look to some component of your beer or brewing that makes you hesitate, you shouldn't use it in your beer. However if it were me and the water stirred with the spoon smelled and tasted fine I would use the spoon. Pretty helpless answer, isn't it? Kyle

the spoon costs $3.99? If I was even the least bit hesitant (which I am when using anything plastic with hot liquids), then I would ditch it immediately and grab something stainless. You may not be tasting any off-flavors but there can still be toxic and carcinogenic chemicals being released into your beer from plastics. If I were you I would drop the $10 or less needed for a basic metal spoon.

Conan said:

As a general rule, if there's a smell/ taste/ look to some component of your beer or brewing that makes you hesitate, you shouldn't use it in your beer. However if it were me and the water stirred with the spoon smelled and tasted fine I would use the spoon. Pretty helpless answer, isn't it? Kyle

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Well I get what you're saying. I didn't notice the water smelling different at all.

the spoon costs $3.99? If I was even the least bit hesitant (which I am when using anything plastic with hot liquids), then I would ditch it immediately and grab something stainless. You may not be tasting any off-flavors but there can still be toxic and carcinogenic chemicals being released into your beer from plastics. If I were you I would drop the $10 or less needed for a basic metal spoon.

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Solid logic. I think I'll do that.

If you can smell it then there is something leaching from it. If it is marked "China" you can be sure you have NO idea what plastic and other crap is in it.

I think its odd that most stir spoons I see online are made of plastic. What is the standard preference on these forums?

i've also heard that because plastic can harbor bacteria, anything more than a year old should be replaced. I inherited a bunch of stuff when I started to brew, spoon, tubing, airlocks etc... for the price...just get a new one, not worth the chance.