Nitrile, Latex, Neoprene and Vinyl Gloves: A Primary Source of Contamination for Trace Element and Zn Isotopic Analyses in Geological and Biological Samples

• Published in: Geostandards and geoanalytical research Vol. 41; no. 3; pp. 367 - 380
• Main Authors: Garçon, Marion, Sauzéat, Lucie, Carlson, Richard W., Shirey, Steven B., Simon, Mélanie, Balter, Vincent, Boyet, Maud
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-09-2017; Wiley
• Subjects: Biological samples; Biological sampling; Chemical composition; Contamination; Earth Sciences; Geochemistry; Gloves; Isotopes; isotopic compositions; Laboratories; Latex; Manganese; Sciences of the Universe; Trace elements; Zinc; trace element; gloves; zinc; isotopic compositions; contamination
• ISSN: 1639-4488; 1751-908X
• DOI: 10.1111/ggr.12161

Exogenic contamination is of primary concern for geochemical and biological clean laboratories working with sample sizes at the nanogram or even subpicogram level. Here, we determined sixty trace elements in fifteen different types of gloves from major suppliers world‐wide to evaluate whether gloves could be potential sources of contamination for routine trace element and isotope measurements. We found that all gloves contain some trace elements that can be easily mobilised in significant amounts. In weak acid at room temperature, the tested gloves released up to 17 mg of Zn, more than 1 μg of Mg, Ti, Mn, Fe, Rb, Sr, Zr, Sn, Hf and Pb and between 100 and 1000 ng of Li, Sc, V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Ga, As, Se, Y, Ag, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Tl and Th. Vinyl gloves released lower quantities of biologically and geologically important elements, with the exception of In and Sn. Isotopic analyses indicate that all gloves share roughly the same Zn isotopic composition (average δ66Zn = +0.10 ± 0.32‰ (2s)). A single contact between glove and labware releases an average of ~ 6 ng of Zn and hence can significantly shift δ66Zn above the precision level when the amount of Zn determined is below 500 ng.
Key Points
All gloves present a high risk of contamination for many geologically and biologically important trace elements.
Vinyl gloves are less enriched in trace elements than nitrile, latex and neoprene gloves.
Glove contamination can significantly shift δ66Zn of geological and biological samples.