Chapter 4: Bleaches and brighteners · Part 1: Oxygen bleaches
Peracetic acid
- Poison schedule (Australia)
The worst fact: the raw chemical is classed in Australia as "Fatal if inhaled" and "Fatal in contact with skin". Mixed with hydrogen peroxide it's a recognised cause of asthma. In a US government study, 58% of hospital cleaners using it had nose and throat symptoms, and 34% had chest symptoms, even though air levels were well below recommended workplace limits.
Why brands use it: it kills bacteria and even hard-to-kill spores, and breaks down fast.
Take care if: you have asthma, or use peracetic disinfectants often or at work. In Australia it's a Schedule 5 Poison at 10% or less and a Schedule 6 Poison above 10%.
Comes from: vinegar acid (acetic acid) reacted with hydrogen peroxide, using a sulfuric acid catalyst.
Myth check: "It just breaks down to vinegar, water and oxygen, so it's harmless": the breakdown part is true. The harmless part isn't, if you breathe it.
Contaminants: nil.
Fair to say: it doesn't damage DNA, and it breaks down in blood within minutes, so very little reaches the rest of the body. Household products are far weaker than the raw chemical.
Correct as of November 2026. What the badges mean
Sources
- Australian Government. Poisons Standard October 2026 (SUSMP), F2026L01327: chlorinating compounds, dichloroisocyanuric acid, hydrogen peroxide, sodium percarbonate, peracetic acid, ammonia.
- Safe Work Australia. Hazardous Chemical Information System (HCIS): classifications for each chemical, and for borax. hcis.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
- NICNAS. IMAP Tier II assessments: sodium percarbonate (2016); hydrogen peroxide (2014); perborates (2018); peracetic acid (2013). industrialchemicals.gov.au
- Hawley B et al. Respiratory symptoms in hospital cleaning staff exposed to a product containing hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid and acetic acid. Ann Work Expo Health 2017;62(1):28-40.
The full source list is at the end of Chapter 4.