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Some of America’s favorite restaurants have just committed to taking something off consumers’ plates. Restaurant Brands International, which owns Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes, announced plans late Wednesday to phase out these chemicals in its food packaging worldwide by 2025. Chick-fil-A announced a similar commitment Wednesday evening on Twitter to phase out these chemicals in packaging by the end of this summer. (Reiley, 3/24)

Independent testing of more than 100 packaging products from US restaurant and grocery chains identified PFAS chemicals in many of the wrappers, a Consumer Reports investigation has found. The potentially dangerous “forever chemicals“ were found in food packaging including paper bags for french fries, wrappers for hamburgers, molded fiber salad bowls and single-use paper plates. (Loria, 3/24)

A company executive has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges alleging his fogging disinfection business applied pesticides inconsistent with their intended use to purportedly kill the coronavirus in Culver City. Prosecutors have recommended that David Earl Gillies, managing partner of Utah-based Mountain Fog, receive two years probation and be ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for two misdemeanor counts of using a pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its labeling. Gillies, reached by phone at his home Wednesday, March 23, said he does not agree with how his case was handled. (Schwebke, 3/24)

More than 200 odor complaints poured in to air quality regulators Thursday after a bag containing a chemical used to make plastic sheeting broke open at a Compton plant in the early morning, prompting investigations. The incident began around 1:30 a.m. when a roughly 300-pound bag of the chemical was placed into an oven at the Plaskolite plant, according to Roger Hamilton, the company’s vice president of operations. The bag split open around 3:30 a.m. and started emitting a strong odor. The leaked chemical is methyl methacrylate, or MMA, which is also used in superglue, Hamilton said. (Seidman, 3/24)

No criminal charges will be filed in a years-long investigation into the Milwaukee Health Department's handling of its childhood lead poisoning prevention program, officials announced Thursday. The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office determined there was insufficient evidence to prove that a crime had been committed, based on a review of an investigation by the state Department of Justice, the DA's Office said in a statement. The office also noted lack of clarity in state law, unreliable Health Department records, and conflicting witness statements as challenges in bringing any criminal charges. (Dirr and Spicuzza, 3/24)

Microplastics were detected in human blood for the first time, according to a study that may indicate the potential for particles to travel to organs. Scientists found 17 out of the 22 healthy people they took samples from had quantifiable amounts of plastic particles in their blood. Researchers said further study is needed to determine the health risks of the materials. (Matsuyama, 3/25)