h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A friend has been advised to get some citric acid for use as a sterilising agent. We do stock it here, as part of our needle exchange kits for heroin users, but understood it to be for helping break down the brown. Is citric acid useful for sterilising, and if so, how?

Seems an odd one at first glance, wouldn't be my first choice as a sterilising agent.

However it is acidic and so anything that makes a significantly strongly acidic solution (and citric acid solutions will be at least pH 2 or lower I would think) is going to make it tricky for most pathogens to survive in that locality so I don't see why not.

Of course it's non toxic to us so yeah, go for it.

And having just googled, it seems to be widely used where a non-toxic steriliser is needed (e.g. for baby's bottles, beer making equipments...).

From wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citric_acid

>Citric acid is commonly used as a buffer to increase the solubility of brown heroin. Single-use citric acid sachets have been used as an inducement to get heroin users to exchange their dirty needles for clean needles in an attempt to decrease the spread of AIDS and hepatitis[1]. Other acidifiers used for brown heroin are ascorbic acid, acetic acid, and lactic acid; in their absence, a drug user will often substitute lemon juice or vinegar.<


So there you go, chemical that has more than one use. What versatile stuff

Cheers Orcus