Rubber particulate contamination

Personal protective equipment is clothing and/or respiratory equipment worn to protect the body against various forms of contamination. Some of the most common forms of personal protective equipment include dust masks, air purifying respirators, protective suits made from particulates or chemically resistant materials such as Tyvek (E.I. Du Pont de Nemours Company, Inc., Wilmington, DE) and/or other fabrics, and lightweight protective rubber gloves or chemical-resistant gloves. 

Micropaleontological examination of rock chips, dust and thin sections by optical and microscopic techniques provided no indication of fossil or dead microorganisms13 161. The method detected, however, terrestrial contamination in the form of particulate organic matter such as shreds of teflon, silicone rubber and cellulose fibres131. 

Rubber closures by their very nature need to be subject to some degree of cleaning prior to use to remove particulates and to remove endotoxins from the stopper surface. Indeed, when aseptically packaging a sterile product the closure must be sterile and pyrogen-free itself, or it will contaminate the product. 

---