8 January 2009 — Plastic Additives Leach into and Skew Medical Experiments — Medical researchers from the University of Alberta have found that disposable plasticware commonly used in scientific experiments leach two types of chemicals that affect and can even ruin the results of experiments. Oleamide (a lubricating agent added to the plasticware) and quaternary ammonium biocides (anti-bacterial agents also added to the plastic) were found to leach from the plastic. Certain of the compounds were also found to biologically interact with, and change the behaviour of, human enzymes and brain receptors in different experiments.
