Registration Dossier

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Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.

The new ECHA CHEM database has been released by ECHA, and it now contains all REACH registration data. There are more details on the transition of ECHA's published data to ECHA CHEM here.

Diss Factsheets

Environmental fate & pathways

Endpoint summary

Administrative data

Description of key information

Additional information

Based on the high water solubility, low vapour pressure and low octanol-water partition coefficient, peracetic acid is expected to partition almost exclusively to the aquatic compartment (99.95%). In air the half-life of peracetic acid is 22 minutes. The abiotic degradation of peracetic acid in water increases with temperature and pH. At a temperature of 25 °C and at pH of 4, 7 and 9, the degradation half-life value were 48, 48 and 3.6 hours respectively, assuming pseudo-first order kinetics and even lower when based on the First Order Multi-Compartment model.

Peracetic acid was readily biodegradable during a biodegradation test when an inhibition of the micro-organisms (biocidal effect) was prevented. Peracetic acid will be degraded in a sewage treatment plant if the influent concentration is not extremely high (e.g. > 100 ppm). If effluents generated during the production or use of peracetic acid are treated by a waste water treatment plant, no emission of peracetic acid to the aquatic environment is expected.