Avoiding and reducing microplastic false positives from dry glove contact
A study published in Analytical Methods (RSC Publishing) on May 14, 2026, reveals that dry glove contact is a significant source of microplastic contamination in laboratory analyses. The researchers found that common nitrile and latex gloves shed particles that can be misidentified as sample microplastics. By implementing a protocol involving wetting gloves with filtered water and rinsing before sample handling, false positives were reduced by up to 90%. The study tested various glove types and found that powder-free nitrile gloves with a wet-rinse step performed best. This finding is critical for environmental monitoring labs that rely on accurate microplastic quantification. The authors recommend adopting this simple, low-cost measure to improve data reliability.
Ensures accurate microplastic data by eliminating a common lab contamination source.