Disposable Surgical Gloves and Pasteur (Transfer) Pipettes As Potential Sources of Contamination in Nitrite and Nitrate Assays (Technical Briefs‪)‬

Much attention has been focused recently on the role of nitric oxide (NO) in physiology. NO has important effects as a bactericidal agent released by macrophages, as a relaxing factor causing vasodilatation, as a neurotransmitter, and as a paracrine substance (local "hormone") in many other physiological processes [1, 2]. In humans, NO is rapidly converted to nitrite and nitrate, and these metabolites in blood or urine are often used to investigate its metabolism. Disposable surgical gloves are needed in areas where specimens are collected, received, separated, and analyzed. Several types of gloves are available, in latex or latex-free formulation, with powder or powder-free. During the development of assays for nitrate and nitrite, we identified disposable gloves and glass Pasteur pipettes as potential sources of contamination.