Peptide Critic Community

Would it be reasonable to assume that “sterile” vials and “sterile” filters, especially ones bought online, can fall into the same risk category as grey market peptides. On paper it all makes sense, but people treat vials and filters as automatically clean when the reality is you usually cannot verify sterility without proper testing and handling controls.

How do you actually know an empty vial isn't contaminated. How do you know a filter isn't compromised. If you do not, you could be taking something that is clean and putting it into a vial that is not.

Is 0.22µm syringe filtering a peptide solution before injection actually worth doing, or is it mostly a peace of mind step? I know people say ‘it removes some bacterial risk so it’s worth it’ but I’m curious how meaningful that is if the product is already sterile, and if it isn’t sterile then filtering still won’t address endotoxins or dissolved contaminants. It also adds extra handling steps that could introduce contamination and you can lose product to the filter. Do you filter routinely or only if you see particulates, and can you share your reasoning or any sources (links, papers, pharm guidance) that support your approach?