Wooden spoons and glass mugs: how to avoid toxic chemicals in your kitchen

Your cutting board, utensils and coffee maker are among the long list of items in your kitchen that could be leaching dangerous chemicals. Illustration: Julia Louise Pereira/The Guardian

Chemicals are the invisible guests in our kitchens. You can’t see them but they are everywhere.

Simply making a meal can be a toxic minefield. Dangerous chemicals lurk in just about every step of the prep: PFAS “forever chemicals” in nonstick cookware, bisphenol in plastic containers, lead in ceramics, arsenic in pans, formaldehyde in cutting boards and the list goes on.