The stearate coating on some gloves creates an infrared signal that matches polyethylene plastic, which can cause laboratory instruments to incorrectly detect microplastics in samples where none are...
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
The oily layer on some gloves has molecules that shake in the same way as tiny plastic particles when hit with infrared light, so machines designed to spot plastic can’t tell them apart. This makes it look like there’s plastic in the sample when it’s really just glove residue.
Most probable mechanism
The oily coating on some gloves has molecules that vibrate in the same way as tiny plastic particles when hit with infrared light, so machines that detect plastics can’t tell the difference and think the coating is plastic when it’s not.
Stearate molecules in glove coatings absorb and reflect infrared radiation at wavelengths matching those absorbed by polyethylene chains due to similar molecular bond vibrations.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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When Good Intentions Go Bad - False Positive Microplastic Detection Caused by Disposable Gloves.
Contradicting (0)
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