Bio-aerosols aren’t welcome in any laboratory. They can consist of bacteria, cell fragments, fungal spores or viruses, as well as byproducts of microbial metabolism. Aerosols are easily generated in various concentrations during simple routine tasks in the laboratory, such as centrifugation, pipetting or shaking.

For this reason, Eppendorf has taken another detailed look at the risk of contamination during pipetting and put their filter pipette tips to the test once again.

The results confirm that all tested sample types indeed generate aerosols which infiltrate, and contaminate, the lower part of the pipette. During this test, the use of pipette tips equipped with a two-layer filter proved to be extremely effective in the prevention of contamination through viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma and DNA. Independent of the type of sample, these tips prevented the infiltration of aerosols into the pipette shaft and thus ensured contamination-free pipetting. These results underline the critical role of high-quality filter pipette tips for reliable and reproducible results.  

Application Note No. 490 “Reliable Protection Against Pipetting-Related Bio-Aerosol Contamination with ep Dualfilter T.I.P.S. Pipette Tips” describes the generation of aerosols when working with biological samples and the resulting contamination risk during pipetting.

About Eppendorf Group

Eppendorf is an international leader in the life science industry, developing, producing and distributing equipment, consumables and services that are used in laboratories around the world.

The product portfolio of the divisions Liquid Handling, Consumables, Separation & Instrumentation and Bioprocess includes pipettes, pipette tips, centrifuges, mixers, ULT freezers and bioreactors for cell and gene research. Furthermore, Eppendorf offers a wide range of high-quality consumables. Eppendorf Group reported a total sales figure of 1.08 billion euros for the financial year 2023 while their research and development (R&D) investments amounted to 69 million euros.

Eppendorf products are used in academic and industrial research laboratories, for example in pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical and food companies. Other fields of application for Eppendorf products include clinical and environmental analytical laboratories, forensics and industrial laboratories for process analysis, production and quality assurance.

Eppendorf Group is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, since 1945 and has production facilities and R&D sites in Europe, Asia and North America. The Group’s subsidiaries are spread across 33 countries. Today, the Group has more than 5,000 employees around the world. In their everyday work, all of these employees have one and the same mission, proclaimed by the company’s founder: Improving human living conditions.

Recent news from Eppendorf