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Old September 10, 2012   #25
greentiger87
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My comment wasn't intended to scare anyone off Oxidate, I was just passing on what I'd learned. It also explains how it could still be useful even though the final concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the diluted product is so low.

I think peracetic acid is a greater danger for several reasons:

1) It's always going to come packaged with a very high concentration of hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid - there's no other easy way to keep it stable. The pH of the concentrate is very low.
2) It degrades into acetic acid and peroxide, meaning it can continue to oxidize and corrode even after decomposing.
3) It is not affected by catalases and peroxidases, enzymes that can protect us from the worst of the damage caused by concentrated hydrogen peroxide
4) It is more lipid soluble than hydrogen peroxide, meaning it will penetrate deeper on a macro level (past fat and oil barriers) and a micro level (through cell membranes).
5) Though it has similar oxidizing potential, it reacts much faster than than hydrogen peroxide, and even at very low concentrations. You can pour diluted hydrogen peroxide over compost and not see any immediate reaction. Do the same with dilute peracetic acid, and it will immediately react with any organic material in the vicinity.

All that said, 27% hydrogen peroxide alone would be dangerous to handle without some personal protective equipment, so concentrated Oxidate should be treated with caution regardless.
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