Lawmakers in the nation's second-largest city approved the distribution of chlorine bleach for cleaning needles to slow the spread of AIDS among intravenous drug users. The council vote was unanimous Tuesday after an emotional hearing in which one unidentified man was escorted from chambers when he tried to shout down supporters of the program. The $25,000 allocated for distribution of kits containing bleach and condoms was part of an $85,000 AIDS prevention and education program. The bleach kills the AIDS virus on needles, which drug addicts often share. The money also establishes a central AIDS treatment and information center. San Francisco is the only other governmental agency in California that distributes bleach to clean needles. New York also distributes bleach _ and recently withdrew from a program to distribute clean needles. Critics of the programs charge they promote drug abuse. Supporters say drug abuse will continue regardless of whether needles are sterilized to prevent AIDS. Dave Johnson, the city's AIDS policy and program coordinator, estimated that 7 percent of intravenous drug users in Los Angeles County carry the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The City Administrative Office said the $25,000 will pay for 50,000 to 62,000 bleach and condom kits. City officials said they had no way of estimating how many intravenous drug users would use the kits.
