Study reveals microparticle production from cutting boards during vegetable chopping.

A study in Environmental Science & Technology suggests that cutting boards made of wood and plastic can produce tens of millions of microparticles a year when used to chop vegetables. The researchers found that food preparation could produce 14 to 71 million polyethylene microplastics and 79 million polypropylene microplastics from their respective boards each year. However, a toxicity test showed no substantial effect on mouse cell survival from polyethylene or wood microparticles released during chopping. The researchers suggest using other options to reduce potential microplastic contamination in foods.