Bacteriostatic water is both a key ingredient in laboratories, research centers, and hospitals and a bacteriostatic agent. This type of solution has been in use for a long time, nearly as long as modern medicine.
These agents prevent bacterial growth in utensils, containers, canisters, and formulas. They stop bacteria from reproducing, but they are not able to kill all the bacteria. In this post, we will discuss everything you need to know about BW and where to buy bacteriostatic water online.
What is bacteriostatic water?
Designed for injections, bacteriostatic water contains 0.9% of benzyl alcohol, which acts as a preservative. You can naturally find benzyl alcohol in plants, tea leaves, and fruits. It is completely safe to use and great for the composition of bacteriostatic water due to its low toxicity, pleasant odor, and low vapor pressure.
Benzyl peroxide ensures that bacteriostatic water has an acceptable pH level from 4.5 to 7.0. These unique characteristics perfectly balance efficacies and pleasantries, allowing BW to be an ideal substance when diluting M.
Precautions
While benzyl alcohol and its presence in BW is considered to be safe, there are some precautions you should be aware of and responsibly use this solution. Suppliers will provide you with the instructions, along with warnings. There are generally three rules you should consider:
Toxic for newborn children: since 1983, scientists have known that benzyl alcohol can cause severe problems in newborns. A report has been published in the American Academy of Pediatrics that states that benzyl alcohol causes respiratory depression with gaping, encephalopathy, severe metabolic acidosis, and maybe other abnormalities that could lead to death.
Since then, the Food and Drug Administration has put a ban on benzyl alcohol-based products, like BW, in neonatal units around the USA.
This substance can cause problems in pregnancy because infants can be poisoned by benzyl alcohol in BW. It can also cause fetal harm in pregnant women, leading to physical and mental disabilities, deformities, and even death.
Side effects when combined with certain solutions and drugs. While BW is great for diluting most medications, it doesn’t pair well with everything on the market. You need to consider other medications in the patient’s blood before administering a BW-rich injection.
How to administer bacteriostatic water?
Knowing how to use bacteriostatic water is crucial; otherwise, you will waste your money. Depending on what you are using BW for will determine its purpose. For example, suppose you are working in a research laboratory on a developmental project. In that case, you won’t be using it in the same manner as if you are working in a doctor’s office and hospital.
You will need a pipette instead of using a syringe with a needle. Make sure that the equipment is sterile so you don’t contaminate your work. Gently squeeze the pipet’s bulb before inserting the tip into BW. Release your grip before BW reaches the desired level.
On the other hand, if you are working at a doctor’s clinic or hospital, you will need a syringe and a needle. Again, you need to make sure that all your utensils are sterile to avoid infection or spreading a blood-borne disease to your patient.
Install the needle onto the syringe and then insert the needle tip into a container with bacteriostatic water. Slowly extract the solution until it reaches the desired level, which is visible in the syringe. Gently remove the needle from the BW vial and slowly penetrate the medication vial.
Once you dispel the solution into the vial, make sure to push BW against the side of the vial and then extract the mixed solution until it reaches the desired level in the syringe. After you are done with the patient, discard both the syringe and needle.
How do you store bacteriostatic water?
The storage rules should be the same whether your BW vials come with flip-top lids or rubber stoppers. For example, if you open a vial, make sure to use it within a month. Don’t go beyond that period of time because benzyl alcohol loses its potency, and you risk bacteria thriving inside the vial.
There are no specific rules when it comes to storing your BW. Just keep the container in a dark place where room temperature doesn’t exceed 80 degrees and doesn’t go below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.