# How To Choose A Microplastics Lab: 5 Questions To Ask

> Not all microplastics labs are equal. The Wellness Quality Institute helps brands pick the right lab and turn results into claims you can defend.

**Published:** 2026-10-13 | **Updated:** 2026-10-31 | **Author:** mihir
**URL:** https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/third-party-microplastics-testing-guide
**Type:** post

**Categories:** Certification

![How To Choose A Microplastics Lab: 5 Questions To Ask](https://wellnessquality.sites.aigrowthagent.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/93/2026/10/1791800493338-d1ec2480d1ec-1024x572.webp)

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## Content

*Written by: Scott Steveson, Specialist, Wellness Quality Institute*

## Key Takeaways For Brands And Buyers

- Third-party microplastics testing uses accredited labs and several distinct analytical methods. Each method has its own detection limits and outputs, which directly shape the claims a brand can support.
- Brands need to specify the exact method, particle-size range, and accreditation scope when commissioning tests. Vague instructions often produce results that are hard to use or easy to misinterpret.
- Accreditation verification means checking the lab’s ISO/IEC 17025 scope documents to confirm the specific method and matrix are covered, not just confirming that the lab holds a general accreditation.
- A “none detected” result shows that no particles were found above the method’s validated detection floor in the tested sample and polymer panel. It supports a narrow statement about that test, not a broad “plastic-free” claim.
- The Wellness Quality Institute converts qualified lab data into clear, scope-locked claims through its Plastic-Free Pathway Verification process, so brands can stand behind what they say.

[See how Plastic-Free Pathway Verification can turn your lab data into clear, supportable claims.](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

## The Five Questions To Ask Every Microplastics Lab Before You Pay

Before signing a purchase order, brand teams should get clear, written answers to a short set of questions. Direct answers protect both the budget and the eventual claim.

1. **What Is The Minimum Particle Size Your Method Can Detect?** Ask for the validated lower limit, not the instrument’s theoretical capability. A lab that says “1 µm” without qualification is describing a piece of hardware, not a validated workflow. [Instrument capability claims do not equal validated operational reporting ranges](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-95-2740-3_3), and that gap matters when you write claim language.
2. **How Do You Identify Polymer Type?** Visual identification alone never provides enough certainty. [Microscopic identification alone has produced false positives where organic fibers were misidentified as microplastics](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-95-2740-3_3). Counted particles need chemical confirmation by spectroscopy or thermoanalytical methods.
3. **Is Your Accreditation Scope Specific To This Method And This Matrix?** ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard for laboratory competence. Accreditation is granted only for a defined scope of testing or calibration activities, so buyers should verify that the exact method, matrix, measurement range, and related parameters appear within that scope. [A laboratory may perform tests outside its accredited scope, but those results are not covered by the accreditation and should not be represented as accredited results](https://nist.gov/sco/nist-standards-related-authorizations).
4. **What Contamination Controls Do You Run?** The answer should include procedural blanks, filtered reagents, covered glassware, clean-air conditions, non-plastic equipment, and low-shedding lab clothing. Those controls only matter if they are documented. Blank data must appear in the final report, because a blank result is what proves the controls actually worked. [Recommended controls for each analytical batch include procedural blanks and, when relevant, field or laboratory blanks, along with filtered reagents, covered glassware, clean-air conditions, limited plastic materials, and low-shedding laboratory clothing](https://mdpi.com/2305-6304/14/6/514).
5. **What Will The Report Actually Contain?** The deliverable should include particle counts by size fraction, the polymer panel screened, reporting limits, blank results, chain of custody, and data recency. A report that omits any of these elements narrows the claim it can support.

## What Particle Size A Microplastics Lab Can Actually Detect

The answer depends entirely on the analytical method. The table below maps the principal analytical methods, and the two California regulatory methods built on them, to their validated lower detection limits and explains what each one measures. Every figure is cited to its source.

![Colorful plastic fragments in water inside a laboratory petri dish.](https://cdn.aigrowthmarketer.co/1784829410323-fb401fc7b1e4.webp)**Microplastics are particles smaller than five millimeters. Current methods can count and identify them at the upper end of that range, but reliable measurement falls away as particles get smaller — a limit that shapes every honest claim.**

| Method | Validated Lower Limit | What It Measures | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Micro-FTIR | [~10–20 µm](https://mdpi.com/2071-1050/18/18/9537) | Particle count, size, shape, polymer type | [Uddin et al., 2025, Springer](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-95-2740-3_3) |
| Raman microspectroscopy | [~1 µm](https://mdpi.com/2071-1050/18/18/9537) | Particle count, size, shape, polymer type | [Uddin et al., 2025, Springer](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-95-2740-3_3) |
| LDIR (Laser Direct Infrared) | [~20 µm](https://mdpi.com/2071-1050/18/18/9537) | Particle count, size, shape, polymer type | Eurofins Environment Testing |
| Py-GC/MS (Pyrolysis) | Not size-based | Polymer mass and polymer type by weight only | [Uddin et al., 2025, Springer](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-95-2740-3_3) |
| California SWB-MP1-rev1 (infrared spectroscopy) | [>50 µm](https://waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/labs) | Particle count by size fraction, polymer type | [California State Water Board](https://waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/labs) |
| California SWB-MP2-rev1 (Raman spectroscopy) | [>20 µm](https://waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/labs) | Particle count by size fraction, polymer type | [California State Water Board](https://waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/labs) |

Several details in this table deserve emphasis. ATR-FTIR is a common variant of infrared spectroscopy. It [generally requires substantially larger particles, often about 300 µm or more, and should not be treated as equivalent to micro-FTIR](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-95-2740-3_3). Py-GC/MS works by thermally decomposing the sample. It [does not provide particle count, size, morphology, or a direct size floor](https://mdpi.com/2071-1050/18/18/9537), and instead reports polymer mass, which is a fundamentally different output.

The gap that matters most for claim defensibility is the gap between definition and method. [California’s drinking-water definition of microplastics reaches down to 1 nanometer, while the best validated methods begin at 20 or 50 micrometers, which are thousands of times larger. The 1–20 µm fraction is not validated under either California method](https://waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/labs). A lab report that does not state its validated lower limit is incomplete for claim purposes.

For a detailed comparison of what each analytical technique can and cannot prove, see [The Wellness Quality Institute’s Microplastics Analysis Techniques guide](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/microplastics-analysis-techniques-comparison/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent).

## How To Confirm A Lab’s Accreditation Covers Your Method And Matrix

ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard for laboratory testing competence. Holding it does not mean a laboratory is accredited for every test it offers. [ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation attests to technical competence only for a defined scope of testing or calibration activities. The practical evidence of accreditation is the current certificate together with the accreditation body’s scope-of-accreditation document, not merely an “ISO/IEC 17025 accredited” statement or logo](https://nist.gov/sco/nist-standards-related-authorizations).

![Scientists in white coats working with samples and microscopes in a laboratory.](https://cdn.aigrowthmarketer.co/1784829434095-0fc8fbcf29fa.webp)**Only a small number of laboratories can genuinely test for microplastics, and capability varies by instrument and method. WQI reviews a company’s existing third-party laboratory data against a defined standard — it does not run the tests itself.**

For microplastics testing, three accreditation tiers matter most:

- **California ELAP For The Applicable SWB Method (Preferred):** The California Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program, administered by the State Water Resources Control Board, [accredits laboratories against defined fields of accreditation rather than as a blanket laboratory approval, and maintains a public GIS map that buyers can use to search for accredited laboratories](https://waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/labs).
- **ISO/IEC 17025 With Method And Matrix Explicitly In Scope (Accepted):** [A buyer should verify that the exact test method, analyte or measurand, matrix or product type, measurement range, laboratory location, and report status appear within the accredited scope](https://nist.gov/sco/nist-standards-related-authorizations).
- **Other Qualified Independent Laboratories Through Documented Method-Equivalence Review (Conditional):** An independent body reviews and accepts the method, matrix, laboratory validation, and equivalence.

The practical step is simple. Request the exact scope line from the laboratory’s accreditation certificate. [Confirm that the accredited activity covers the relevant particle-size range, identification approach, sample-preparation procedure, and matrix, rather than only confirming that the laboratory holds ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation](https://nist.gov/sco/nist-standards-related-authorizations).

[Confirm your lab’s accreditation and scope, then start a verification review with the Wellness Quality Institute.](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

## What A “None Detected” Microplastics Result Actually Proves

Once you have confirmed that the lab’s accreditation covers your method, the next step is understanding what the result can support. A “none detected” result is bounded by three variables: the detection floor of the method used, the polymer panel screened, and the production lot sampled.

![Fragments of plastic suspended in blue water below the surface.](https://cdn.aigrowthmarketer.co/1784829388732-c6255482b477.webp)**Plastic doesn’t disappear — it fragments. These secondary microplastics are the breakdown products of everyday objects, and independent research now detects them across the water supply. Detection, though, establishes presence, not absence.**

- A “none detected” result from micro-FTIR, Raman, or LDIR means no particles were found above that method’s validated particle-size and matrix scope.
- A Py-GC/MS non-detect means polymer mass was below the method’s validated reporting threshold. The method destroys the sample to obtain a mass figure and cannot speak to particle count or size.
- If a laboratory counted from 10 µm upward, anything smaller was never in scope. The limit of detection, usually stated in the method notes, is the most important number on the report.
- Two microplastic results from different labs are not directly comparable unless both state the same method and the same size cut-off. A lab counting from 1 µm will always report more particles than one counting from 10 µm, even when testing the identical bottle.
- A single microplastic water test yields a number that cannot be interpreted in isolation. A before-and-after pair on the same day, same tap, same lab measures the ratio that directly shows whether a filter is working.

The claim implication is direct. A “none detected” result supports a statement about what was not found above a defined floor, in a defined polymer panel, in a defined lot. It does not extend to a product line, a company, or an unqualified “microplastic-free” claim.

For more on interpreting drinking-water test results, see [The Wellness Quality Institute’s Microplastics in Drinking Water: Testing Explained](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/microplastics-drinking-water-testing/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent).

## Why Microplastics Testing Quotes Can Differ By An Order Of Magnitude

Pricing for “microplastics testing” can vary dramatically between laboratories. Four drivers explain most of the spread, and each one also affects what the result can prove.

- **Method:** [Particle-resolved methods such as micro-FTIR and Raman spectroscopy require imaging, particle classification, and polymer confirmation. Pyrolysis-GC/MS measures polymer mass via destructive sample processing. These methods deliver different information and impose different labor, instrumentation, and sample-preparation requirements](https://datamintelligence.com/research-report/microplastics-testing-market).
- **Matrix:** [Sample preparation must be adapted to organic content, inorganic material, expected concentration, and analytical objective. Digestion, density separation, filtration, and interference removal add labor and can require method-specific validation](https://datamintelligence.com/research-report/microplastics-testing-market).
- **Particle-Size Range:** [Lower particle-size thresholds generally require more sensitive instrumentation, additional fractionation, and more intensive analysis](https://datamintelligence.com/research-report/microplastics-testing-market).
- **Sample Count And Throughput:** [Manual particle-by-particle identification creates throughput limitations. Automated imaging and batch processing can reduce per-sample costs when multiple samples are submitted](https://datamintelligence.com/research-report/microplastics-testing-market).

A lower quote does not always represent a better deal. A cheaper method with a higher detection floor may produce a result that cannot support any meaningful claim. The relevant question is what the result proves, and whether that proof is sufficient for the claim the brand intends to make.

For guidance on evaluating testing proposals from vendors, see [The Wellness Quality Institute’s How to Evaluate Microplastics Testing from Vendors](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/how-to-evaluate-microplastics-testing/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent).

## The Current US Microplastics Regulatory Picture

As of October 2026, the United States has no enforceable federal drinking-water standard, maximum contaminant level, or generally applicable federal product-testing requirement specifically for microplastics.

- [EPA proposed adding microplastics as a priority contaminant group to draft Contaminant Candidate List 6 (CCL 6), the first such federal listing. CCL inclusion is not a regulation, does not establish a health limit, and does not itself impose monitoring, treatment, reporting, or product-testing obligations](https://epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-launches-cutting-edge-scientific-study-strengthen-nations-understanding-potential).
- [EPA declined to include microplastics in UCMR 6, citing the lack of a validated test method with adequate quality control, accuracy, and precision for the required monitoring timetable](https://hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2026/07/epa-proposes-ucmr-6-for-pfas-and-other-contaminants).
- [California is the first jurisdiction in the world to require microplastics monitoring in drinking water, under Senate Bill 1422 and Health and Safety Code section 116376](https://waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/labs). California’s framework, including the SWB-MP1-rev1 and SWB-MP2-rev1 methods, is the most stringent credible public reference available for testing today and serves as a technical reference point for organizations seeking a defensible analytical anchor.
- Effective October 1, 2026, California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control added microplastics to its Candidate Chemicals List under the state’s Safer Consumer Products regulations. The listing does not ban microplastics, establish a product-specific concentration limit, or require universal product testing, but places microplastics on a regulatory runway.

The absence of a federal standard does not reduce claim risk. The [FTC’s Green Guides require that companies making environmental claims support those claims with competent and reliable scientific evidence, and warn against broad, unqualified claims that imply an entire product or company is free of microplastics when testing covers only a defined sample, batch, matrix, particle-size range, or list of polymer types](https://ftc.gov/business-guidance/advertising-marketing/environmental-marketing).

## Turning A Lab Report Into A Claim You Can Support

A laboratory report and a defensible market claim serve different purposes. A report states what a method found in a defined sample. A claim states what that finding means, which requires independent review.

The Wellness Quality Institute (WQI) is an independent verification body that reviews companies’ existing third-party laboratory data on plastic and microplastic content against a defined standard, WQI-CS-01, aligned with the California State Water Board’s drinking-water microplastics reference framework. WQI does not run laboratory tests. It reviews the dataset, method, product scope, and controls, and issues one of two outcomes: Standard Met or Standard Not Met.

Standard Met carries four things: a verification decision, a scope-locked license to use the WQI logo, a public registry listing, and approved claim language. Standard Not Met is a private outcome, never described as a failed product, and can be resubmitted with updated information. A single assessment fee covers review, verification decision, and registry listing. Laboratory testing is arranged and billed separately by a qualified independent laboratory.

Verification is locked to the reviewed product, dataset, tested particle-size range, polymer panel, and production period. No company-wide or product-line claim may be extended from a single dataset.

WQI’s review examines laboratory qualification, analytical method, product matrix, sampling approach, tested particle-size range, target polymer panel (at minimum: PE, PP, PET, PS, PVC, PA, PC, and PMMA), reporting limits, blank results, spike recoveries, replicates, chain of custody, data recency, and product scope. Many clients learn for the first time what their existing data does and does not prove.

For brands already working with retailers or procurement teams, see [The Wellness Quality Institute’s Microplastics Testing for Retailers: Labs, Methods and Claims](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/microplastics-testing-for-retailers/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent).

*WQI Plastic-Free Pathway Verification does not certify that a product contains zero plastic, microplastics or nanoplastics. It shows that the company is on a verified pathway toward plastic-free standards. Verification applies only to the reviewed products, submitted datasets, tested ranges, polymer panels, production or sampling periods, and supporting controls. WQI verification is not a California approval, government certification, or health or safety certification.*

[Submit your existing lab data to the Wellness Quality Institute and receive a clear verification decision and claim language.](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

## Frequently Asked Questions

These questions come up most often once brands and consumers see how method, matrix, and detection floor shape every microplastics result.

### Do Ziploc-Style Bags Give Off Microplastics?

[Polyethylene (PE) is one of the most frequently included target polymers in standard microplastics reference panels and commercial standards, typically appearing alongside polystyrene (PS) and other common polymers such as PP, PET, PVC, and PC](https://pubs.rsc.org/yi/content/articlehtml/2025/en/d4en00767k?page=search). Whether a given bag sheds particles above a method’s detection floor depends on the method used, the matrix tested, and the conditions applied. As with any “none detected” result, the finding is bounded by the method’s detection floor, the polymer panel, and the lot tested, and it does not prove the bag is free of plastic. The more useful question for a brand is whether the packaging material appears in the polymer panel of the test commissioned for the product it contacts, and whether the method’s detection floor is low enough to be meaningful for the claim being made.

### Can You Flush Microplastics Out Of Your Body?

No accredited clinical assay, direct-to-consumer blood panel, or validated stool test exists for microplastics in the human body. The published studies that detected plastic particles in human tissue used research-grade methods with rigorous contamination controls, including filtered air, glass equipment, and procedural blanks, that cannot survive a consumer postal workflow. The particles driving the most concern in the scientific literature, found in placenta, blood, arterial plaque, and brain tissue, are largely in the sub-micrometre and nanoplastic region, below the 1–10 µm detection floors of consumer water tests. [As of 2025, no consumer product or protocol has been validated to “flush” microplastics from the body, and any claim to that effect is not supported by current science, though preliminary studies of supplements such as chitosan and probiotics have reported enhanced microplastic excretion and warrant further validation](https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/13/2190).

### Will The EPA No Longer Require Microplastic Testing?

[As covered above, there is no existing federal testing requirement to remove](https://epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-launches-cutting-edge-scientific-study-strengthen-nations-understanding-potential). [EPA’s CCL 6 proposal is a listing, not a regulation, and imposes no monitoring, treatment, or product-testing obligations](https://epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-launches-cutting-edge-scientific-study-strengthen-nations-understanding-potential). [EPA’s UCMR 6 proposal did not include microplastics because no validated, standardized drinking-water method with adequate quality control, accuracy, and precision was available for the required monitoring timetable](https://epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-launches-cutting-edge-scientific-study-strengthen-nations-understanding-potential). Federal activity on microplastics remains in the research and method-development phase, while California’s framework currently provides the most stringent credible public reference for testing methodology.

### Is Coffee Full Of Microplastics?

Coffee itself is not a plastic product. The concern focuses on the packaging, brewing equipment, and serving materials that contact the coffee. [Polypropylene (PP), used in many coffee capsules and lids, is a target polymer in microplastics research standards; PP is present in over 50% of freshwater and drinking water studies but included in only 6% of studies evaluating biological effects](https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8929/5/1/19). A lab report on a coffee product would still be bounded by the method’s detection floor, the polymer panel screened, and the lot tested. The more useful question for a brand is what claim the resulting dataset can support, whether the method is appropriate for the matrix, and whether the tested particle-size range is defensible for the intended claim language.

## The Independent Review Step That Closes The Gap

Third-party microplastics testing covers several different analytical methods, each with its own detection floor, information output, and claim implications. A lab report alone does not become a defensible market claim. The detection floor, the polymer panel, the accreditation scope, and the sampled lot all bound what the result proves, and that translation requires a structured review.

The Wellness Quality Institute’s Plastic-Free Pathway Verification provides that independent review step and converts qualified lab data into a scope-locked, defensible claim with approved language attached. It reviews what the data actually shows and issues a finding a brand can stand behind when a retailer, a journalist, or a litigator examines it. That finding never claims more than the science supports and does not certify that a product is free of plastic.

For a complete overview of testing standards and how they connect to verification, see [The Wellness Quality Institute’s Microplastics Testing Standards: The Complete Guide](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/microplastics-testing-standards/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent).

[Connect with the Wellness Quality Institute to align your testing, verification, and claim language in one review.](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

## Read Next

- [How To Evaluate Microplastics Testing From Vendors](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/how-to-evaluate-microplastics-testing/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)
- [How To Know If Microplastics Lab Results Are Trustworthy](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/microplastics-testing-verification-lab-results/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)
- [Microplastics Claim Verification: What Lab Data Can Prove](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/microplastics-claim-verification-data/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)
- [Microplastics Testing For Retailers: Labs, Methods & Claims](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/microplastics-testing-for-retailers/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)
- [Microplastics Testing Limits and How to Judge the Evidence](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/water-quality-month-microplastics/?utm_term=third-party-microplastics-testing-guide&utm_campaign=ai_growth_agent)

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    - **Name:** Do Ziploc-Style Bags Give Off Microplastics?
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      - **Text:** Polyethylene (PE) is one of the most frequently included target polymers in standard microplastics reference panels and commercial standards, typically appearing alongside polystyrene (PS) and other common polymers such as PP, PET, PVC, and PC. Whether a given bag sheds particles above a method’s detection floor depends on the method used, the matrix tested, and the conditions applied. As with any “none detected” result, the finding is bounded by the method’s detection floor, the polymer panel, and the lot tested, and it does not prove the bag is free of plastic. The more useful question for a brand is whether the packaging material appears in the polymer panel of the test commissioned for the product it contacts, and whether the method’s detection floor is low enough to be meaningful for the claim being made.
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    - **Name:** Can You Flush Microplastics Out Of Your Body?
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      - **Text:** No accredited clinical assay, direct-to-consumer blood panel, or validated stool test exists for microplastics in the human body. The published studies that detected plastic particles in human tissue used research-grade methods with rigorous contamination controls, including filtered air, glass equipment, and procedural blanks, that cannot survive a consumer postal workflow. The particles driving the most concern in the scientific literature, found in placenta, blood, arterial plaque, and brain tissue, are largely in the sub-micrometre and nanoplastic region, below the 1–10 µm detection floors of consumer water tests. As of 2025, no consumer product or protocol has been validated to “flush” microplastics from the body, and any claim to that effect is not supported by current science, though preliminary studies of supplements such as chitosan and probiotics have reported enhanced microplastic excretion and warrant further validation.
    **Question:**

    - **Name:** Will The EPA No Longer Require Microplastic Testing?
      **Answer:**

      - **Text:** As covered above, there is no existing federal testing requirement to remove. EPA’s CCL 6 proposal is a listing, not a regulation, and imposes no monitoring, treatment, or product-testing obligations. EPA’s UCMR 6 proposal did not include microplastics because no validated, standardized drinking-water method with adequate quality control, accuracy, and precision was available for the required monitoring timetable. Federal activity on microplastics remains in the research and method-development phase, while California’s framework currently provides the most stringent credible public reference for testing methodology.
    **Question:**

    - **Name:** Is Coffee Full Of Microplastics?
      **Answer:**

      - **Text:** Coffee itself is not a plastic product. The concern focuses on the packaging, brewing equipment, and serving materials that contact the coffee. Polypropylene (PP), used in many coffee capsules and lids, is a target polymer in microplastics research standards; PP is present in over 50% of freshwater and drinking water studies but included in only 6% of studies evaluating biological effects. A lab report on a coffee product would still be bounded by the method’s detection floor, the polymer panel screened, and the lot tested. The more useful question for a brand is what claim the resulting dataset can support, whether the method is appropriate for the matrix, and whether the tested particle-size range is defensible for the intended claim language.

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  - **Headline:** How To Choose A Microplastics Lab: 5 Questions To Ask
  - **Description:** Not all microplastics labs are equal. The Wellness Quality Institute helps brands pick the right lab and turn results into claims you can defend.
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    - **Description:** Scott Stevenson is part of the Wellness Quality Institute team, where he supports WQI’s work to advance product transparency, credible verification, and greater consumer trust. His background spans ethics and compliance, corporate trust, and responsible business, including experience with Ethisphere Institute and global companies navigating evolving standards and stakeholder expectations.
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      - **Url:** https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/
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---

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  - Well-Known: [https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/.well-known/mcp](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/.well-known/mcp)
- **WebMCP (Client-Side MCP):** This site supports WebMCP — client-side Model Context Protocol for browser-based AI agents (Chrome 146+)
- **Web Stories:** [https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/web-stories-sitemap.xml](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/web-stories-sitemap.xml) — AMP Web Stories for rich visual content experiences

## Discovery Endpoints for AI Agents

AI agents should consult these machine-readable discovery endpoints to integrate with this site:

- **OpenAI Plugin Manifest:** [https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/.well-known/ai-plugin.json](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/.well-known/ai-plugin.json)
- **A2A Agent Card:** [https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/.well-known/agent-card.json](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/.well-known/agent-card.json)
- **MCP Server (Streamable HTTP):** [https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/.well-known/mcp](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/.well-known/mcp)

## Citations

- [How To Verify Plastic Contamination In Protein Powder](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/verify-protein-powder-plastic-contamination)
- [Plastic Claim Substantiation: Evidence Before You Claim](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/plastic-claim-substantiation-evidence-requirements)
- [How To Make Plastic Reduction Claims That Hold Up](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/substantiate-clean-label-plastic-reduction)
- [Plastic Claim Substantiation: A US Compliance Guide](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/plastic-claim-substantiation-compliance-guide)
- [Microplastics Verification Standards: A Complete Guide](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles/microplastics-verification-standards-guide)

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*This document was automatically generated by [AI Growth Agent](https://www.wellnessqualityinstitute.com/articles) — AI Growth SEO v4.38.1*
*Generated on: 2026-11-11 07:33:38 GMT+0000*