From Microplastics Regulations to Removal: What Clinical Laboratories Need to Prepare For

A single PCR test consumes around 30 grams of plastic.¹

Multiply that across daily clinical laboratory workloads worldwide, and the scale of plastic use becomes clear.

Clinical labs depend heavily on single-use plastics to ensure safety, sterility, and analytical reliability. Lab professionals are well aware of the sustainability challenges this creates, with 84% saying they want to do more to reduce their environmental impact.²

Much of this waste is visible in the form of tubes, tips, plates, and packaging. Increasingly, though, attention is shifting to the smaller fragments these materials can generate: microplastics. Long recognized as persistent environmental pollutants, these particles are under ever-increasing scrutiny for their potential to harm ecosystems and human health.^3,4

In response, microplastic regulations are tightening, with regulators placing greater controls on their use and release. While clinical and in vitro diagnostic (IVD) applications currently benefit from specific regulatory exemptions, these come with stringent reporting obligations and are expected to evolve towards mandating microplastic removal in the near future.⁵

With this in mind, many clinical labs are taking a closer look at their microplastic emissions and what they can do today to better manage these contaminants.

Microplastics in clinical wastewater: What they are and how they get there

Clinical wastewater is highly variable, reflecting the wide range of reagents, samples, and consumables used in routine diagnostic testing. The diverse mix of contaminants that clinical chemistry analyzer effluent can contain—including pathogens, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, and microplastics—complicates wastewater treatment.

Microplastics are insoluble particulate materials typically defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, while nanoplastics exist at the sub-micron scale.⁶

There are two classes:

• Primary microplastics: Intentionally manufactured polymers designed for specific applications, often incorporated into products for their physical or chemical properties
• Secondary microplastics: Formed when larger plastic materials fragment over time due to mechanical, chemical, or environmental stress

Figure adapted from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.⁷

In clinical laboratory environments, both primary and secondary microplastics can enter wastewater streams during routine analyzer operation.⁸

Primary microplastics enter clinical wastewater during assay processing, washing, and system flushing. Examples include:

• Polymer beads in turbidimetric immunoassays
• Microparticles incorporated into calibrators and controls designed to mimic biological matrices
• Polymer bead-based capture systems used in sample preparation workflows

Secondary microplastics arise through the fragmentation of plastic components during routine analyser operation, including:

• Shedding of plastic particulates from single-use consumables, such as cartridges, pipette tips, plates, and probes, due to mechanical contact, shear stress, or chemical exposure 
• Gradual degradation of multi-use components, including tubing, valves, and reservoirs, under repeated mechanical, chemical, or thermal stress

Without removing microplastics from clinical wastewater before discharge, analyzer effluent therefore contributes to downstream emissions that may have serious environmental consequences.

Why microplastics matter: Impact on environmental and public health

Microplastics do not readily degrade. Instead, they persist and accumulate in the environment, where they are evident in water systems, wildlife, and even human tissues. This persistence raises concerns about ecosystem disruption, particularly in aquatic environments that support global food chains.⁹

Microplastics also act as vectors for other contaminants, with chemicals and microorganisms adhering to their surfaces and moving through water systems alongside them.^10,11

Humans are exposed to microplastics through drinking water, food, and inhalation, making public health implications an active area of research. In vitro studies have linked microplastic exposure to inflammatory and cellular stress responses, and emerging evidence suggests that microplastics may provide surfaces that support microbial colonization, facilitating antimicrobial resistance (AMR).^10,12

As awareness of these risks grows, microplastic regulations will likely shift expectations beyond reporting toward mitigation, including removing microplastics from water.

Regulations: Current controls and what’s set to change

For clinical laboratories in the EU, the interaction between the REACH restriction on intentionally added microplastics and Regulation (EU) 2017/746 on IVDs shapes microplastic regulations.¹³

REACH restricts certain primary synthetic polymer microparticles (SPMs), but clinical and IVDs currently benefit from specific exemptions and derogations. These provisions extend to accessories, including reagent kits, test cartridges, calibrators and controls, and sample preparation consumables commonly used in clinical laboratory workflows. 

However, these exemptions do not mean there are no regulatory obligations in place for clinical labs.  In the EU, manufacturers and downstream users of products containing intentionally added SPMs must report estimated primary microplastic emissions to ECHA by 31 May each year, starting in 2026.¹⁴

These reports must include detailed information on the types and amounts of microplastics emitted, as well as the measures taken to minimize their release. 

The phased approach of the REACH microplastics framework signals a clear shift in regulatory expectations. While implementation timelines vary by region, the overall direction is consistent: microplastic regulations are moving steadily from disclosure toward demonstrable control.

Therefore, while current requirements for clinical labs focus on transparency and documentation, further changes are expected as the regulatory landscape continues to evolve. Importantly, the existing exemption that permits the use of primary microplastics in specific clinical and IVD applications is subject to review, prompting experts to recommend an immediate shift from reactive responses to proactive management.¹⁵

For clinical laboratories, this has practical implications. Leaders should reassess their wastewater management strategies to prepare for future microplastics regulation, with compliance planning requiring an agile approach to evolving reporting and mitigation requirements. In tandem, sustainability reporting and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risk management frameworks are likely to place increasing weight on microplastic removal from wastewater.

Looking ahead: Clinical labs should prepare now for stronger microplastic regulations

Increased public awareness and growing evidence of adverse environmental impacts have brought microplastics firmly into the regulatory and sustainability spotlight. 

While timelines and requirements vary by region and country, regulatory expectations are clearly shifting toward greater control of microplastic emissions. 

This presents an opportunity to move beyond compliance-driven reporting and adopt a more proactive approach. 

By integrating microplastic removal into routine wastewater management, laboratories can reduce negative environmental impacts while positioning themselves confidently for the next phase of microplastic regulation. 

As part of Veolia’s broader commitment to ecological transformation through sustainable product design, the MEDICA range supports responsible end-to-end water management in clinical laboratories. From ultrapure water production to at-source wastewater treatment, MEDICA systems support high-quality scientific outcomes while reducing environmental impact.

References

1. Mansuy JM, Migueres M, Trémeaux P, Izopet J. Will the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic be an ecological disaster? There is an urgent need to replace plastic by ecologically virtuous materials. Health Sci Rep. 2022;5(5):e703. doi:10.1002/hsr2.703 

2. Black D. Twelve reasons for labs to go greener. Chemistry World. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/twelve-reasons-for-labs-to-go-greener/4016387.article 

3. Ziani K, Ioniță-Mîndrican CB, Mititelu M, et al. Microplastics: A Real Global Threat for Environment and Food Safety: A State of the Art Review. Nutrients. 2023;15(3):617. doi:10.3390/nu15030617 

4. Winiarska E, Jutel M, Zemelka-Wiacek M. The potential impact of nano- and microplastics on human health: Understanding human health risks. Environ Res. 2024;251:118535. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.118535 

5. Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 - Restriction of microplastics intentionally added to products - Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. Accessed February 10, 2026. https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/chemicals/reach/restrictions/commission-regulation-eu-20232055-restriction-microplastics-intentionally-added-products_en 

6. Cole M, Lindeque P, Halsband C, Galloway TS. Microplastics as contaminants in the marine environment: A review. Mar Pollut Bull. 2011;62(12):2588-2597. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.09.025 

7. Microplastics. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/water-quality/microplastics.html 

8. How Medical Devices Produce Microplastics. Plastics Today. Accessed February 11, 2026. https://www.plasticstoday.com/medical/microplastics-in-medical-devices-understanding-sources-and-potential-risks 

9. A global estimate of multiecosystem photosynthesis losses under microplastic pollution | PNAS. Accessed February 11, 2026. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2423957122 

10. Stevenson EM, Buckling A, Cole M, Hayes A, Lindeque PK, Murray AK. Sewers to Seas: exploring pathogens and antimicrobial resistance on microplastics from hospital wastewater to marine environments. Environ Int. 2025;206:109944. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2025.109944 

11. Rafa N, Ahmed B, Zohora F, et al. Microplastics as carriers of toxic pollutants: Source, transport, and toxicological effects. Environ Pollut. 2024;343:123190. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123190 

12. Microplastics and our health: What the science says. News Center. Accessed February 11, 2026. https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2025/01/microplastics-in-body-polluted-tiny-plastic-fragments.html 

13. European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). REACH Restriction of Synthetic Polymer Microparticles: (Entry 78 of Annex XVII REACH, as Introduced by Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055). Accessed February 11, 2026. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/circabc-ewpp/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/7f416aa0-21ab-4b9e-9809-b5d7087c9501/download 

14. ECHA. ECHA ready to receive reports on microplastics emissions. ECHA. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://echa.europa.eu/-/echa-ready-to-receive-reports-on-microplastics-emissions 

15. Reach24h. EU Microplastic Emission Reporting System Officially Launched: First Submission Due by May 2026 - REACH24H. Accessed February 12, 2026. http://en.reach24h.com/news/industry-news/chemical/eu-microplastic-emission-reporting-system-launched