Which statement regarding surface contaminants on a penetrant test specimen is false?

In penetrant testing, surface contaminants can often pose substantial challenges to achieving accurate results. While the notion that some contaminants might retain penetrant and thus enhance sensitivity seems appealing, this is misleading. Contaminants such as oils, grease, dust, or other residues do not enhance inspection sensitivity; rather, they can mask defects by trapping penetrant and preventing it from indicating flaws properly.

The function of a penetrant test is predicated on the ability of the penetrant to seep into and reveal irregularities on the surface of a material. If contaminants are present, there is a high likelihood that they will disrupt the proper interaction between the penetrant and the defect. Therefore, while it might appear logical that contaminants could increase retention of penetrant and nominally indicate heightened sensitivity, in reality, they create barriers that could obscure actual issues.

Thus, the assertion that contaminants may enhance inspection sensitivity is false because, in practice, they negatively impact the testing process and the reliability of the results.