Filtering and contamination.

articfox

articfox

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I am wondering even though you are trying to take the right steps, you could be raising the odds with contamination.
  1. The new vile is not sterile, it’s been accidentally contaminated.
  2. The filter for pin/pen is contaminated.
  3. Your procedure in the filtering and handling is not up to standard.
The chances would be a lot lower if you have a flow hood, auto clave and some lab infection control protocols.

How far do you go ?
 
I think it's a good thing to consider all of the above. Can you afford an autoclave? Flow hood can be made possibly? What about gloves? Fans? What about UV or Ozone? A clean room? What about damaging your peptides? This is a springboard to one's own journey. Make your world how you want it.

Ima sasquatch. If I told you what I do personally, it would not be helpful.😉
 
articfox said:
I am wondering even though you are trying to take the right steps, you could be raising the odds with contamination.
  1. The new vile is not sterile, it’s been accidentally contaminated.
  2. The filter for pin/pen is contaminated.
  3. Your procedure in the filtering and handling is not up to standard.
The chances would be a lot lower if you have a flow hood, auto clave and some lab infection control protocols.

How far do you go ?
Click to expand...
I appreciate you asking some of the questions I have.

I've yet to filter at all. As I attempt to research what filtering even is, the first thing I see is the peptide being placed in another container of whatever variety, but now it's not sterile. As the OP says. My saving grace is that the sealed vials are… sealed. I never store or reuse a needle. Everything gets alcohol-wiped. Nothing is used twice. The idea of taking the liquid out of the sealed vial gives me hives. I'm sure there are super-clever ways (the OP seems to hint at these methods, but I have only the vaguest concept of only some of the things OP mentions).

Here's my question: What is the virtue of filtering? Pretend you've done it perfectly somehow (though I highly doubt that, personally, I will ever be equipped to do it perfectly). What is the benefit? What toxins are potentially lingering in my unfiltered gray peptides from China?
 
articfox said:
Your best to study this topic and research it heavily, I am not comfortable giving you information when honestly I am just a novice. Use the search function and look on youtube 👌
Click to expand...
Fair enough. Here's why I'm asking. Unless you have a lab and a laminar flow hood (I have nothing like that nor do I have access to it), this process sounds fraught af. Also, even though you may strain out bacteria that somehow snuck into the vial, and even if you do have a laminar flow hood, the bigger fear of endotoxins is not solved by filtering. Here's what I found in the research I'm doing and feel free to set me straight because I'm relatively new to this too. "Only specialized positively charged filters (like 'Mustang E' or 'Charged Durapor') can trap endotoxins via electrical attraction."

I have a kitchen counter and a fridge. And if I had this intricate equipment, I would almost certainly screw it up. I think, at least for me, the dangers introduced by filtering far outweigh the dangers filtering is trying to remove. Again, anyone knowledgeable, please feel free to correct me. I'm trying to learn and I genuinely welcome the correction.

But what I think I might be starting to find out is that filtering is pretty much just not worth it for the vast majority of us who aren't scientists to begin with.
 
timj382 said:
Here's my question: What is the virtue of filtering? Pretend you've done it perfectly somehow (though I highly doubt that, personally, I will ever be equipped to do it perfectly). What is the benefit? What toxins are potentially lingering in my unfiltered gray peptides from China?
Click to expand...



Main reasons peptides are filtered

1. Remove bacteria and contaminants

  • Peptides are often reconstituted with bacteriostatic or sterile water.
  • Filtering (usually with a 0.22-micron sterile filter) helps remove bacteria and particulates that may have been introduced during handling or mixing.
  • This is especially important if the peptide is being stored and reused.

2. Improve sterility after reconstitution

  • Even if the peptide powder was sterile, the moment it’s mixed, sterility can be compromised.
  • Filtering reduces infection risk by acting as a final sterilization step.

3. Remove undissolved particles

  • Some peptides don’t fully dissolve or may contain microscopic solids from manufacturing or vial stoppers.
  • Filtering prevents these particles from remaining in solution.

4. Reduce injection-site reactions

  • Particulates or bacterial contamination can cause redness, swelling, or irritation.
  • Filtered solutions are generally smoother and better tolerated.

5. Quality control for research accuracy

  • In lab settings, contaminants can interfere with experiments and data.
  • Filtering helps ensure consistency and repeatability.
 
articfox said:
Main reasons peptides are filtered

1. Remove bacteria and contaminants

  • Peptides are often reconstituted with bacteriostatic or sterile water.
  • Filtering (usually with a 0.22-micron sterile filter) helps remove bacteria and particulates that may have been introduced during handling or mixing.
  • This is especially important if the peptide is being stored and reused.

2. Improve sterility after reconstitution

  • Even if the peptide powder was sterile, the moment it’s mixed, sterility can be compromised.
  • Filtering reduces infection risk by acting as a final sterilization step.

3. Remove undissolved particles

  • Some peptides don’t fully dissolve or may contain microscopic solids from manufacturing or vial stoppers.
  • Filtering prevents these particles from remaining in solution.

4. Reduce injection-site reactions

  • Particulates or bacterial contamination can cause redness, swelling, or irritation.
  • Filtered solutions are generally smoother and better tolerated.

5. Quality control for research accuracy

  • In lab settings, contaminants can interfere with experiments and data.
  • Filtering helps ensure consistency and repeatability.
Click to expand...
Appreciate that comprehensive and very useful answer. Thanks for taking the time.
 
articfox said:
I am wondering even though you are trying to take the right steps, you could be raising the odds with contamination.
  1. The new vile is not sterile, it’s been accidentally contaminated.
  2. The filter for pin/pen is contaminated.
  3. Your procedure in the filtering and handling is not up to standard.
The chances would be a lot lower if you have a flow hood, auto clave and some lab infection control protocols.

How far do you go ?
Click to expand...
I'm not a pharmacy, the second I decided to do grey, I accepted, this is not sterile, it never will be.
I do filter though, I do use 10 or more needles per recon, and I practised sterile tecniques in my earlier work life because of operating on patients, so I do feel ok safe.
 
timj382 said:
the first thing I see is the peptide being placed in another container of whatever variety, but now it's not sterile. As the OP says. My saving grace is that the sealed vials are… sealed.
Click to expand...
There have been several rounds of sterility testing done on the commonly available brands of vials (available retail) advertised as sterile. While you can never be sure that every vial in the package you bought is sterile, it does at least give you an idea on a manufacturer’s track record.

As others have stated, the topic of filtering is covered very frequently and searching that keyword will give everyone hours worth of reading to enjoy.
 
So, I use a clear plastic tub on its side. Many years ago I use to grow mushrooms and dealt with spores, syringes and cultures. If you fuck up and contaminated the batch, it takes over quickly and ruins all your work.

So without a flow hood, you want the air extremely still. I use the bin so as little as possible drifts through the air downward and lands on my syringe/vial. One of the tricks is to move quickly as possible but in s steady measured movement. The less time any thing that may contam a vial.or syringe the better.

Really, i think a serious contamination in your vial is pretty visible. Once shit starts growing in a vial once you hold it up to the light youll.see it. And if your unsure, let the vial.sit a bit more and see if whatever is inside grows larger.

I opt not to filter, its extra steps, extra chance of contam, and apparently I like to live dangerously. If I hold that vial up and see anything in it thats not clear, such as a black speck, or even white specks, i will and have tossed vials. They are relatively cheap, this is a hobby and i could care less, will just buy more.
 
Gr33dyOctopus said:
So, I use a clear plastic tub on its side. Many years ago I use to grow mushrooms and dealt with spores, syringes and cultures. If you fuck up and contaminated the batch, it takes over quickly and ruins all your work.

So without a flow hood, you want the air extremely still. I use the bin so as little as possible drifts through the air downward and lands on my syringe/vial. One of the tricks is to move quickly as possible but in s steady measured movement. The less time any thing that may contam a vial.or syringe the better.

Really, i think a serious contamination in your vial is pretty visible. Once shit starts growing in a vial once you hold it up to the light youll.see it. And if your unsure, let the vial.sit a bit more and see if whatever is inside grows larger.

I opt not to filter, its extra steps, extra chance of contam, and apparently I like to live dangerously. If I hold that vial up and see anything in it thats not clear, such as a black speck, or even white specks, i will and have tossed vials. They are relatively cheap, this is a hobby and i could care less, will just buy more.
Click to expand...
Appreciate this pov. I think this may be where I land for now too.
 
Dos-Dox said:
There have been several rounds of sterility testing done on the commonly available brands of vials (available retail) advertised as sterile. While you can never be sure that every vial in the package you bought is sterile, it does at least give you an idea on a manufacturer’s track record.

As others have stated, the topic of filtering is covered very frequently and searching that keyword will give everyone hours worth of reading to enjoy.
Click to expand...
Same with pen cartridges, a group recently sent 5 different brands for sterility testing, they all passed.
When you only use pens, all that filtering takes is a 0.22um filter and an extra needle.

PeptideTest has a great YT video on that.
 
Last edited:
RadicalCrimson said:
Same with pen cartridges, a group recently sent 5 different brands for sterility testing, they all passed.
When you only use pens, all that filtering takes is a 0.22um filter and an extra needle.

PeptideTest has a great YT video on that.
Click to expand...
Lots of carts have tested non-sterile
 
Gr33dyOctopus said:
So, I use a clear plastic tub on its side. Many years ago I use to grow mushrooms and dealt with spores, syringes and cultures. If you fuck up and contaminated the batch, it takes over quickly and ruins all your work.

So without a flow hood, you want the air extremely still. I use the bin so as little as possible drifts through the air downward and lands on my syringe/vial. One of the tricks is to move quickly as possible but in s steady measured movement. The less time any thing that may contam a vial.or syringe the better.

Really, i think a serious contamination in your vial is pretty visible. Once shit starts growing in a vial once you hold it up to the light youll.see it. And if your unsure, let the vial.sit a bit more and see if whatever is inside grows larger.

I opt not to filter, its extra steps, extra chance of contam, and apparently I like to live dangerously. If I hold that vial up and see anything in it thats not clear, such as a black speck, or even white specks, i will and have tossed vials. They are relatively cheap, this is a hobby and i could care less, will just buy more.
Click to expand...
Oh man, I was all for not filtering before...however, after reconning some famous orange cap T30 from a vendor here...starting feeling weird. Gas and bubble guts in the morning, nausea, some fatigue. I just chalked it up to higher doses of both Tirz and Reta. HOWEVER, this morning I noticed something different (apologies in advance...). Got some bad diarrhea, but that turning into something REALLY strange, clear poop with some blood. Looking it up, symptoms showed it wasn't clear, it was actually mucus. Looking up said symptoms, it brought me to bacillary dysentery.

I'll note that multiple T30 vials from different vendors failed sterility. I have so much orange cap T30 and so many vendors carry it. I'll be filtering from now on, as I feel like absolute shit.🤢
 
IshimaruKenta said:
Oh man, I was all for not filtering before...however, after reconning some famous orange cap T30 from a vendor here...starting feeling weird. Gas and bubble guts in the morning, nausea, some fatigue. I just chalked it up to higher doses of both Tirz and Reta. HOWEVER, this morning I noticed something different (apologies in advance...). Got some bad diarrhea, but that turning into something REALLY strange, clear poop with some blood. Looking it up, symptoms showed it wasn't clear, it was actually mucus. Looking up said symptoms, it brought me to bacillary dysentery.

I'll note that multiple T30 vials from different vendors failed sterility. I have so much orange cap T30 and so many vendors carry it. I'll be filtering from now on, as I feel like absolute shit.🤢
Click to expand...
Maybe less anal.sex or rimming??!?!?
 

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I honestly never put two and two together until I pooped clear mucus. Symptoms started happening shortly after I started using the orange cap T30. I still feel that not the entire batch from every vendor is bad, but filtering is now a must. I understand this is reta forum, but filtering will now be added.
 
Yea, not a big deal for me to filter either, i bought them but never used them. Think it was calm logic, or Indolent that basically doesnt worry about it. And i look up to those fucks so decided not to do it either. So far ao good?

But I have everything to do it so why not. Its just extra syringes and filters. I dont want to poop blood and mucous after a rimming and ass pounding anal sex session, I mean, no more than usual anyway.
 
IshimaruKenta said:
I honestly never put two and two together until I pooped clear mucus. Symptoms started happening shortly after I started using the orange cap T30. I still feel that not the entire batch from every vendor is bad, but filtering is now a must. I understand this is reta forum, but filtering will now be added.
Click to expand...
Well at the least you've made me spend $100 @ undergroundsupply
 
yrrdead said:
Well at the least you've made me spend $100 @ undergroundsupply
Click to expand...
I feel much better today, but I just bought a filtering kit from Underground too. I have so much orange cap T30 and do not want to throw it away. The vast amount of vendors that carry orange cap T30 (and now they're black caps), makes it difficult to find ones that use a different supplier.

I would always feel better just before the next pin. Then two days later, same symptoms. Now I know, and luckily no mucus today.
 
Phatmax said:
this was a good video.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EHHXTdlYCw
Click to expand...
I'll mention that once you're filtering, you might as well pre-wet and rinse through the filter too. That makes the loss a lot smaller and the volume more accurate even for the 13mm. Heck, I rinse my recon vial, if I'm reconning more than 1ml, just to make sure I get it all!

Start just like the video, with ~20-30U BAC and put a sterile needle on the filter.
Push until it spurts 💦 and go to an even set of units. Insert into cart to push rest.
Disconnect the syringe from the filter (leaving the needle in) cuz yer filtering!
Put a vent on the pressurized cart (it could have some BAC in it too) to equalize.
Some people put a filter on there too, but if it's positive pressure I don't see why.
Pull your reconned pep from the vial and filter with 100U low dead vol syringe.
You'll need a luerlock syringe, but I prefer small ones to the 3mm biggies 🍆.
Get another 20-30U of BAC (whatever you need to get the right final recon vol), and use that to flush the filter. You could use the same to rinse the recon vial.

I'd recommend a longer needle to filter in with the cart vertical, and a short barely penetrating needle to vent (I've even been known to use a 29G pen needle👀 to vent air). That keeps you from blowing bubbles out the top (or the plunger out the back! Heck, I recommend a longer needle to pull the recon too so you can get to the bottom and don't have to fiddle with the stopper.

I've got so many unused 100U insulin syringes, I recon and rinse with a few of those since they're accurate to ~ unit. If the vial has vacuum, you don't have to vent it first. Then finish venting it once it's got at least 1ml and is fully dissolved with the long (~1.5" 25G) barely in the vial so it doesn't blow bubbles, and use that to pull for filtering when pushed all the way to bottom. It helps to spin the vial and rotate the needle so the tip opening is at the bottom.

YMMV!
 
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