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Material Measurement Laboratory

Chemical Sciences Division

News and Updates

Displaying 1 - 25 of 69
A woman with safety goggles and gloves stands at a lab bench.

A Better Alternative to Phthalates?

Detergents, shampoos, soaps and other everyday items sometimes contain a group of chemicals called phthalates, which are often used to enhance products and add
A large whale is halfway out of the water, about to breach.

A Better Pregnancy Test for Whales

It’s not easy to do pregnancy tests on whales. You can’t just ask a wild ocean animal that’s the size of a school bus to pee on a little stick. For decades, the
Tumeric

Turmeric: Spice or Herbal Medicine?

What: SRM 3299 is a ground turmeric rhizome powder value assigned for curcuminoids and toxic elements. The SRM consists of five packets of the material each
SRM 3949

Keeping Up With Folic Acid Fortification

What: SRM 3949 is a new material with several improvements compared to the original SRM 1955. It is comprised of three levels of folates in human serum. Why
SRM 2777 Weathered Gulf of Mexico Crude Oil in Toulene

Weathered Oil - That's Distressing

What: SRM 2777 is composed of a naturally weathered crude oil extracted from oil-soaked sand that was collected from a beach that was impacted by the Deepwater
SRM 3253 Yerba Mate Leaves

Carcinogens in My Food - No Thank You

What: SRM 3253 is a ground, commercially available yerba mate with certified and reference mass fraction values assigned for select polycyclic aromatic
hand holding gray box labeled GTH

Detecting Chemical Agents with Confidence

The Joint Chemical Agent Detector (JCAD) has become an important defense tool on battlefields and in war-torn cities over the last few years. About the size and
MML Measures Up logo on molecule model

Sticking Together

NIST helps to ensure the strength of buildings, bridges, roadways, and other critical structures all over the world. The Material Measurement Lab at NIST
MML Measures Up logo on image of silicon chip

Small Wonder

NIST helps semiconductor manufacturers—who are under continual pressure to make smaller, faster computer chips—reduce the time required to develop new