Side by side
The pharmaceutical figures below come from two Hospira labels: Sterile Water for Injection, USP and Bacteriostatic Water for Injection, USP, the names used in the United States Pharmacopeia.
| Sterile water for injection | Bacteriostatic water | |
|---|---|---|
| Contents | Water only | Water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol (9 mg/mL) |
| Label wording | "Contains no bacteriostat, antimicrobial agent or added buffer" | Benzyl alcohol "added as a bacteriostatic preservative" |
| Container | Single-dose | Multiple-dose, "from which repeated withdrawals may be made" |
| pH on the label | 5.5 (5.0 to 7.0) | 5.7 (4.5 to 7.0) |
| Storage on the label | 20 to 25 °C | 20 to 25 °C |
| Short names | SWFI, WFI | Bac water, BWFI |
Both labels describe the water as sterile and nonpyrogenic.
What "bacteriostatic" means
A bacteriostatic agent stops bacteria from multiplying. A bactericidal agent kills them. Benzyl alcohol at this strength is the first kind. It does not sterilise the water, which is sterile already when the vial is sealed, and it cannot make a contaminated vial clean. Its job is narrower: after the stopper has been pierced, bacteria that get in are held back between one withdrawal and the next.
That is why the containers differ. With nothing to hold bacteria back, sterile water for injection is packed for a single use. Bacteriostatic water is packed for repeated withdrawals from one vial.
Benzyl alcohol, the chemical
| Formula | C₇H₈O |
| Structure | A benzene ring carrying a −CH₂OH group |
| Molar mass | 108.14 g/mol |
| CAS number | 100-51-6 |
| PubChem CID | 244 |
| Appearance | Colourless liquid |
Cosmetic formulators will know it as a preservative. The EU Cosmetics Regulation lists benzyl alcohol in Annex V, entry 34, at up to 1.0% in a finished product. That is an EU rule, quoted here as a reference point, not an Iraqi one.
How each is labelled, and how each reaches buyers in Iraq
Sterile water for injection is made and labelled as a medicine; the label quoted above is a drug label. In Iraq, medicines are registered with the Ministry of Health, or in the Kurdistan Region with the region's Ministry of Health. In the private sector they reach pharmacies through scientific offices and drug stores; state hospitals and health centres are supplied through Kimadia, the ministry's state company for medicines and medical appliances.
Bacteriostatic water is sold under different labels by different suppliers. Ours is a laboratory diluent: 3 ml vials, in boxes of 10, of water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol, labelled for research use only. It is supplied to laboratories and businesses we have verified. It is not a medicine, it is not labelled for use in people or animals, and it is not a substitute for a registered medicine.
How each is stored
The two Hospira labels give the same condition: 20 to 25 °C, the United States Pharmacopeia's controlled room temperature. Neither asks for a refrigerator before opening. For an opened vial, follow what that product's label and its supplier say, not a general rule.
For much of the year, room temperature in Iraq is not 20 to 25 °C. On 10 August 2025 weather stations recorded 52.6 °C near Basra International Airport and 49.2 °C at Baghdad International Airport. A summer store room without cooling, or a vehicle, can be far above the labelled range. Keep stock indoors in a cool place, and take deliveries out of the heat as soon as they arrive. Storing peptides covers laboratory practice for the materials these waters are used with.
Who supplies which in Iraq
- Sterile water for injection, for a patient: a licensed pharmacy or a hospital's own supply. We do not supply it.
- Bacteriostatic water, for a laboratory: suppliers of laboratory materials. We supply it to businesses and institutions in Iraq that pass our checks, and we deliver to the business address. Bacteriostatic water, 3 ml vials has the product details, and who can buy lists the checks.
Questions people ask
- What is bacteriostatic water used for?
It is a diluent: a liquid in which other materials are dissolved. Ours is labelled for laboratory research use only. Questions about medical use belong to a doctor or pharmacist.
- How many mL of bacteriostatic water should be mixed with peptides?
We give no instructions for preparing anything for use in a person. A laboratory sets its own concentration for an experiment; the peptide calculator does the arithmetic, and storing peptides covers laboratory practice.
- Is 0.9% saline the same as bacteriostatic water?
No. The two share a percentage and nothing else. Saline is 0.9% sodium chloride in water, 9 mg of salt per millilitre. Bacteriostatic water is 0.9% benzyl alcohol in water.
- Is bacteriostatic water the same as sterile water for injection?
No. Both start as sterile water, but sterile water for injection has nothing added and bacteriostatic water carries 0.9% benzyl alcohol.
- Is bacteriostatic water sterile?
Sealed, yes: the label describes it as sterile and nonpyrogenic. Once the stopper has been pierced, the preservative holds back bacterial growth, but each entry is a chance to bring in contamination. That is why an opened vial is not kept indefinitely.
- What is "benzyl alcohol water"?
A loose name for bacteriostatic water: sterile water preserved with 0.9% benzyl alcohol.
- Where can a business in Iraq get bac water?
From a supplier of laboratory materials that checks who is buying. We supply it to verified businesses and institutions; we do not sell to individuals.