General-purpose syringes can be bought in disposable plastic or non-disposable glass formats. The polyethylene construction of disposable syringes makes them rather chemically resistant, causing them to be ideal for a wide range of general uses in laboratories handling a variety of chemicals. Glass syringes may be preferred where a very high degree of precision is important and when the risk of contents in the syringes leaching plasticizers from the syringe would be too high with a disposable plastic syringe.