Scientists shocked to find lab gloves may be skewing microplastics data

New study exposes common lab item contaminating research equipment: 'We finally traced it down'

A new study published by the Royal Society of Chemistry is raising eyebrows after researchers discovered that a common lab item could be skewing microplastics research.

Ordinary Lab Gloves May Have Skewed Microplastic Data

Ordinary Lab Gloves May Have Skewed Microplastic Data: That doesn’t mean microplastics aren’t a problem, though

Scientists may be overestimating the amount of microplastics in the environment – and the culprit is lab gloves

Tiny particles from certain lab gloves look like microplastics, and they can contaminate samples, new study finds.

Scientists shocked to find lab gloves may be skewing microplastics data

Scientists may have been unknowingly inflating microplastics pollution estimates, and the surprising source could be their own lab gloves. A University of Michigan study found that common nitrile and latex gloves release tiny particles called stearates, which closely resemble microplastics and can contaminate samples during testing. In some cases, this led to wildly exaggerated results, forcing researchers to track down the unexpected culprit.

Are lab gloves leading scientists to overestimate microplastics?

Nitrile and latex gloves worn by scientists measuring microplastics may lead to a potential overestimation of the tiny pollutants, a US study suggests.