Diluent

A diluent is simply the liquid added to a powder or a concentrate to dissolve or dilute it.

The word describes the role the liquid is playing rather than what it is. Bacteriostatic water is a diluent; so is plain sterile water; so is saline in other contexts.

Which diluent is appropriate is specified by a product's own labelling, and is not a preference. Recording which container of diluent was used, and when, is what makes a record traceable later.

What it is not

A diluent is not automatically bacteriostatic water. The two words are often used as though interchangeable, and they are not — one is a category, the other a specific product.

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