r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • Mar 29 '26

Discussion Thread Discussion Thread

The discussion thread is for casual and off-topic conversation that doesn't merit its own submission. If you've got a good meme, article, or question, please post it outside the DT. Meta discussion is allowed, but if you want to get the attention of the mods, make a post in /r/metaNL

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u/ChooChooRocket Henry George Mar 29 '26

https://news.umich.edu/nitrile-and-latex-gloves-may-cause-overestimation-of-microplastics-u-m-study-reveals/

Nitrile and latex gloves may cause overestimation of microplastics, U-M study reveals

18

u/Illustrious-Rush8797 Feminism Mar 29 '26

Great we measured the micro plastics using plastic containers

5

u/brucejoel99 Theresa May Mar 29 '26

Even worse, those nitrile gloves start to fray in chemicals like acetone & methanol, i.e., really common industrial solvents, so if these scientists were using those in their studies at any point, welp, then there's even more extra contamination!

8

u/FizzleMateriel Austan Goolsbee Mar 29 '26

Does this mean there isn’t micro-plastics in my balls.

3

u/brucejoel99 Theresa May Mar 29 '26

Does this mean there isn't micro-plastics in my balls.

https://giphy.com/gifs/9LGnGXbvJV83g4qaj1

"We may be overestimating microplastics, but there should be none. There's still a lot out there, and that's the problem," said McNeil, senior author of the study and U-M professor of chemistry, macromolecular science and engineering, and the Program in the Environment.

As microplastic researchers looking for microplastics in the environment, "we're searching for the needle in the haystack, but there really shouldn't be a needle to begin with," said Clough, a recent U-M doctoral graduate.

2

u/brucejoel99 Theresa May Mar 29 '26

This sounds stupidly obvious, like did they really somehow think that their basically-plastic gloves wouldn't impact the results of their plastic testing?

2

u/PierceJJones NASA Mar 29 '26

Reminds me of when there was supposedly a serial female crime boss from Russia that committed all kinds of murders and violent acts in Germany, France and Austria.

Turns out it was a cotton swab factory worker on the DNA tests getting picked up.