Peter G. wrote: >here's an interesting news item ran across while searching for things >fungal . > > Red-Hot Ideas: El Paso Pepper Producer >http://www.newspapertree.com/newsletter.ssd?section=feature&c=712434d153474098 > >any chemists out there who can explain whatever they're calling >"peroxide acid" might be? any contraindications? > >regards >peter g While looking into solutions to clean my deck I came across a discussion of sodium percarbonate, sometimes known as "oxygen bleach." The Web page says it produces hydrogen peroxide when mixed with water and it's good for cleaning fruits and vegetables. This is the active ingredient in those "Oxy-something" cleansers. http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/oxybleach.html: "Sodium percarbonate is an excellent detergent and bleaching agent based on hydrogen peroxide. It is a good cleaning and bleaching agent at normal temperature, and has strong fungicide effect. Fruits and vegetables treated with sodium percarbonate can be kept fresh, and be stored for a long time. In medicine, it can kill staphy lococcus, and colon bacillus . This product is a white particle powder, non-toxic no contamination, non-flammable, non-explosive, easy to get damp, and soluble in water. Oxygen bleach is excellent for cleaning and removing organic stains (such as coffee, tea, wine, fruit juices, foods, sauces, grass and blood) from fabrics, plastics, fiberglass, porcelain, ceramics, wood, carpets, asphalt, concrete, etc. Oxygen bleach can be used in any place in or around the house that need to be destained and deodorized; it is efficient, safe and economical. It is non-toxic, environmentally safe, biodegradable, and leaves no harmful by-products or residues which can harm the environment." Maybe this is what the El Paso pepper producer is calling "peroxide acid?" Just a thought. -- Mike (C-H #36, hab seed intact) Carpe Capsicum! (My words, not NASA's)