The Brief

It's a plastic world out there.

About 460 million metric tons of the material are made each year, according to the United Nations, and some scientists are growing increasingly worried that microplastics that find their way into our bodies could be harming our health.

One way they get in? Food. And not only through food itself — though they are there — but also in the sundry tools and other items we use to prepare and store what we eat on a daily basis.

Home cooks chop into plastic cutting boards, heat up plastic containers, sauté with plastic cooking utensils, encase ingredients in plastic wrap and toss plastic detergent pods in the dishwasher — all of which are possible vectors for microplastics exposure.

"One of the most important sources of microplastics is through the food that we eat," says Tracey Woodruff, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco who studies the impact of microplastics on human health. "And it's highly likely that a lot of that comes from food contact materials."

Here's what to know about microplastics and food preparation — and what you can do if you want to purge your kitchen of the material.

Are microplastics harming humans? The science is evolving

There's still a lot we don't know about how microplastics affect humans.

The tiny particles — which range in size from roughly the width of a pencil eraser to thinner than the diameter of a strand of DNA — have been discovered in many parts of the human body, including the heart, lungs and placenta.

Plastic food containers can be replaced with glass or metal ones. Public health experts warn against heating food in plastic.

(

Michael M. Santiago

/

Getty Images

)

While some studies have indicated that animals suffer ill health effects due to the presence of microplastics, less is known about how the fragments impact us. The Food and Drug Administration says the "overall scientific evidence does not demonstrate that levels of microplastics or nanoplastics found in foods pose a risk to human health." But some early research finds possible links between health problems and the accumulation of these particles.

Susanne Brander, an ecotoxicologist at Oregon State University, told NPR in December that research showing negative health effects from microplastics exposure in animals could provide clues about what's happening to people.

"If that's happening in fish and in rodents in experiments that are being peer-reviewed and published, it's probably happening in us too," Brander said. "We just haven't demonstrated it yet."

Because research shows that humans are continuing to be exposed to microplastics, UCSF's Woodruff recommends that people should try to limit their contact with the material.

"If we wait to try and put a finer point on the science, that means that we're also continually being exposed, and that could lead to more adverse health effects, some of them which we haven't even identified yet," she said.

Want to ditch plastic kitchen tools? Here's what you can do

If you decide you want to reduce your use of plastic in the kitchen, there's plenty you can do. But don't attempt to toss every one of your plastic items immediately, says Anne-Marie Bonneau, author of The Zero-Waste Chef.

"I wouldn't suggest just taking all of your stuff and pitching it. Maybe when it breaks, replace it," Bonneau says. "Don't try to do all of this at once."

Tracey Woodruff, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco who studies the impact of microplastics on human health, said it's likely that many people ingest microplastics from "food contact materials."

(

iStock

/

Getty Images Plus

)

Bonneau decided to "break up" with plastics in 2011 over concerns about pollution but also came to recognize the potential health benefits of avoiding the synthetic in the kitchen.

Instead of using a plastic cutting board, she uses wooden ones. One recent study called plastic cutting boards a "potentially significant source of microplastics in human food" and found that a polyethylene chopping board could shed between 7.4 and 50.7 grams of microplastics per person per year.

Bonneau stores food in glass or metal containers and saves all her jars to reuse later. Heating plastic containers can cause millions of microplastics and billions of nanoplastic particles to be released, one study found. (Microplastics have turned up in takeout food containers, plastic water bottles, paper coffee cups and more.)

Plastic wrap is nowhere to be found in Bonneau's kitchen, which has forced her to become resourceful. "A lot of recipes for bread tell you how to make the dough, and to proof it, they'll say cover the bowl with plastic wrap," she says. "Well, you can just put a plate on top of the bowl. Or the lid of a pot."

She has cotton dish towels and reusable cloth produce bags that she brings to farmers markets and grocery stores. Bonneau also uses cellulose kitchen sponges instead of the common plastic alternatives.

Home cooks can also use stainless steel or cast-iron pots and pans rather than nonstick cookware, which is often made with PFAS, a group of chemicals that have been linked to health problems in humans.

Making the switch in a restaurant

Chef Edward Lee ditched plastic at his nonprofit restaurant Shia in Washington, D.C., to test out more sustainable business practices that could be adopted by other eateries. That means using wooden cutting boards, swapping plastic deli containers for metal and glass substitutes and replacing plastic wrap with alternatives such as parchment paper, beeswax paper, muslin and cheesecloth. The restaurant uses paper takeout containers and doesn't give diners to-go utensils, since Lee says most of them are taking their food home anyway.

But not everything was so easily replaced, such as the iconic plastic restaurant squeeze bottles that Shia has sworn off. Staff members instead store sauces in separate containers and mix vinaigrettes as they're needed. "One of the by-products of getting rid of squeeze bottles is that all our vinaigrettes are fresher, because we have to make them to order," Lee said.

There are trade-offs to cutting out plastic, according to Lee. Some nonplastic alternatives are more expensive, and kitchen staff members have to be more careful when handling items like glass that could easily break if dropped.

But he said the elimination of plastics at Shia has led to a positive cultural shift among staff members, many of whom have also reduced their plastic use at home.

"Being surrounded by a lot of disposables … your attitude becomes more disposable," Lee said. "When we're surrounded by permanence, we're a little bit more focused — we're a little bit more careful."

He added: "Once you do this, you realize there's no going back."
Copyright 2025 NPR

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

(

J.W. Hendricks

/

The LA Local

)

In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.