ISO 17853:2011 specifies methods for sampling wear particles generated by joint replacement implants in humans and in joint simulators. It specifies the apparatus, reagents and test methods to isolate and characterize both polymer and metal wear particles from samples of tissues excised from around the joint replacement implant, obtained at revision surgery or post mortem, and from samples of joint simulator test fluids. Some of these procedures could certainly be adapted for isolation and characterization of particles from human biological fluids (e.g. synovial fluid).