Pubdate: Thu, 11 May 2000 Source: Guardian, The (UK) Copyright: 2000 Guardian Newspapers Limited Contact: 75 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER, England Fax: +44-171-837 4530 Website: http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk/guardian/ Forum: http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk/BBS/News/0,2161,Latest|Topics|3,00.html Author: Kirsty Scott POLICE HUNT SOURCE OF KILLER HEROIN Police and public health officials in Glasgow are trying to identify what might have killed eight heroin addicts and left 11 more seriously ill in the past two weeks. The search for an explanation has centred on the possibility that a batch of contaminated citric acid, which addicts use to dissolve heroin before injecting, may be to blame. In most of the cases the illness has started as an abscess at the point where heroin had been injected. Abscesses are not uncommon among drug users but in the recent cases they became uncharacteristically large and severe. Laurence Gruer, consultant in public health medicine with Greater Glasgow health board, has said the fact that seven of the dead are women supports the citric acid theory. "Most of the patients appear to have been injecting into their muscles or have accidentally missed the vein," he said. "The most likely explanation is that they have injected heroin, or a substance used to dissolve it, which has been contaminated with infective or toxic material ... "Women tend to run out of veins more quickly than men and have to resort to muscles to get drugs in." Citric acid is available as a household product but health board officials said the wider community was not at risk. Preliminary tests on one batch of acid have proved negative. Officials were also looking at the possibility that a bad batch of heroin may have caused the illness. Thirteen of the victims came from the Govanhill area and the others all lived in the north of the city. Addicts were urged to seek medical help if they developed an abscess or severe inflammation. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D