PERACETIC ACID: THE LONG ROAD TO INTRODUCTION OF THIS DISINFECTANT INTO U.S. AQUACULTURE

Peracetic acid (PAA) is a promising disinfectant for biosecurity in the US aquaculture industry to prevent disease outbreaks from fish pathogens.  PAA is a stabilized mixture of acetic acid, hydrogen peroxide and water that breaks down quickly to water and vinegar.  It has replaced chlorine in some industries.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first registered PAA as an antimicrobial in 1985 for indoor use on hard surfaces (e.g., hospitals).  Registrations have been expanded to include: sanitation in food/beverage plants, agricultural premises, wineries/breweries, greenhouse equipment, animal housing, as well as commercial laundries, prevention of bio-film formation in pulp/paper industries, and as a disinfectant for wastewater treatment.  PAA is approved for use in Denmark, Germany and Norway as a water disinfectant, and our labs international collaborations have studied its effectiveness to many pathogens including Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Saprolegnia spp., and various bacteria.  On June 26, 2017, the EPA accepted registration of a commercial PAA compound (VigorOx^® SP-15 Antimicrobial Agent) for: 1) sanitizing surfaces of harvesting equipment used in the aquaculture industry, and 2) cleaning and disinfecting fish culture tanks and raceways when water is drained and fish are not present.  This is the first approved use of PAA in U.S. aquaculture!  We will discuss this long road to an EPA aquaculture registration and provide data on its uses in the aquaculture industry.