[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1856-1858]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00268]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0979; FRL-9375-1]
Availability of Draft Chemical Risk Assessments; Public Comment
Opportunity
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: With this document, EPA is announcing the availability of and
opening the 60-day public comment period for several draft chemical
risk assessments. These draft risk assessments address five of the
initial seven chemicals from the Agency's TSCA Work Plan identified on
March 1, 2012, for assessment during 2012. The chemicals are antimony
trioxide, methylene chloride, n-methylpyrrolidone, trichloroethylene,
and 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8,-hexamethylcyclopenta[g]-2-
benzopyran. Methylene chloride and n-methylpyrrolidone are included in
a single docket because both assessments will be addressed by the same
peer review panel. EPA is also asking the public for nominations of
expert peer reviewers and to submit names with contact information
(full name, address, affiliation, telephone, and email) within 30 days
of the opening of this public comment period. The nominations of expert
peer reviewers from the public will be relayed to the independent peer
review contractor setting up the individual peer review panels. Public
comments submitted on these draft risk assessments will be included in
materials submitted to peer review panels for their reviews of the
assessments after this public comment period closes.
DATES: Comments for nominations of peer reviewers must be received on
or before February 8, 2013 and comments on the draft assessments and
the charge questions for the external peer reviews must be received on
or before March 11, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by the docket
identification (ID) number for the corresponding chemical risk
assessment as identified in this document, by one of the following
methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted
by statute.
Mail: Document Control Office (7407M), Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
Hand Delivery: OPPT Document Control Office (DCO), EPA
East Bldg., Rm. 6428, 1201 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC.
ATTN: Docket ID Number [Please include the applicable docket ID number
as identified in this document]. The DCO is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number
for the DCO is (202) 564-8930. Such deliveries are only accepted during
the DCO's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be
made for deliveries of boxed information. To make special arrangements
for hand delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the
instructions at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.htm.
Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along
with more information about dockets generally, is available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stanley Barone, Risk Assessment
Division (7403M), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 564-1169; fax
number: (202) 564-7450; email address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Does this action apply to me?
This action is directed to the public in general, and may be of
interest to a wide range of stakeholders including those interested in
environmental and human health; the chemical industry; chemical users;
consumer product companies and members of the public interested in the
assessment of chemical risks. Since others also may be interested, the
Agency has not attempted to describe all the specific entities that may
be affected by this action.
II. What authorities apply to this action?
In the Agency's February 2012 TSCA Work Plan Chemicals Methods
Document (http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/wpmethods.pdf), released to the public on March 1, 2012, EPA described
the two-step process the Agency used to identify potential candidate
chemicals for near-term review and assessment under the Toxic
Substances Control Act (TSCA) (15 U.S.C. 2601, et seq.). The Agency
announced its intent to use the TSCA Work Plan to help focus and direct
the activities of the Existing Chemicals Program in the Office of
Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT). EPA also identified an initial
group of seven of the Work Plan Chemicals to begin assessment in 2012.
EPA invited public comment throughout this process through a non-
regulatory docket created for this activity, EPA-HQ-OPPT-2011-0516,
[[Page 1857]]
which can be accessed online at http://www.regulations.gov.
As described in the Methods Document, EPA notes that identification
of a chemical as a TSCA Work Plan Chemical does not itself constitute a
finding by the Agency that the chemical presents a risk to human health
or the environment. Rather, identification of a chemical as a TSCA Work
Plan Chemical indicates only that the Agency intends to consider it for
further review.
III. What action is the agency taking?
EPA is announcing the availability of and opening the public
comment period for the following draft chemical risk assessments. EPA
also invites comments on whether there are other uses that may result
in high potential consumer exposures EPA should consider as future
assessment and/or collection priorities for these chemicals. This unit
identifies the individual draft chemical risk assessments by title,
docket ID number, and chemical or chemicals covered. Use the specific
docket ID number provided in this unit to locate a copy of the
chemical-specific document, as well as to submit comments via http://www.regulations.gov.
A. Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0722
Title: Availability of Draft Chemical Risk Assessments; Public
Comment Opportunity: 1,3,4,6,7,8-Hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8,-
hexamethylcyclopenta[g]-2-benzopyran (HHCB) (CASRN 1222-05-5).
Chemical Covered: 1,3,4,6,7,8-Hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8,-
hexamethylcyclopenta[g]-2-benzopyran (HHCB; CASRN 1222-05-5).
Summary: HHCB is a synthetic polycyclic musk used as an ingredient
in a wide range of consumer products including perfumes, cosmetics,
shampoos, lotions, detergents, fabric softeners, and cleaning agents.
The draft assessment focuses on environmental risk due to release of
HHCB to the aquatic and terrestrial environment from all combined uses.
Human health risks have been evaluated previously and are summarized in
this draft assessment.
For HHCB, EPA is asking for nominations of peer reviewers who are
experts in the following areas: Aquatic ecotoxicology, terrestrial
ecotoxicology, fate and biodegradation, fate and bioaccumulation,
environmental risk assessment (aquatic and terrestrial), and analytical
chemistry of organic waste water contaminants.
B. Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0723
Title: Availability of Draft Chemical Risk Assessments; Public
Comment Opportunity: Trichloroethylene (CASRN 79-01-6).
Chemicals Covered: Trichloroethylene (TCE; CASRN 79-01-6).
Summary: The draft assessment focuses on uses of TCE as a degreaser
and in consumer products used by individuals in the arts/crafts field.
Given the range of endpoints (cancer; non-cancer, including potential
effects on the developing fetus), the susceptible populations addressed
are children and adults of all ages (including pregnant women). Thus,
the draft assessment focuses on all human lifestages.
For TCE, EPA is asking for nominations of peer reviewers who are
experts in the following areas: Toxicology of TCE (developmental
cardiotoxicity, immunotoxicology, reproductive toxicology, and cancer
biology), expertise in physiologically based pharmaco-kinetics modeling
for TCE, exposure of volatile organics, experts on use of volatiles as
solvent degreasers and in the arts/crafts field, chemical/environmental
risk assessment experts, experts familiar with environmental release
data (i.e., TRI, NEI) and associated modeling/interpretation.
C. Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0724
Title: Availability of Draft Chemical Risk Assessments; Public
Comment Opportunity: Antimony Trioxide (CASRN 1309-64-4).
Chemical Covered: Antimony trioxide (ATO; CASRN 1309-64-4).
Summary: This draft assessment focuses on the ecological hazards
that may be associated with ATO use in flame retardants. Human health
risks for the flame retardant use have been evaluated previously and
are summarized in this draft assessment. Because ATO use in plastics
was previously evaluated for human health and the environment, that use
scenario is not evaluated here.
For ATO, EPA is asking for nominations of peer reviewers who are
experts in the following areas: Exposure modeling, aquatic
ecotoxicology, terrestrial ecotoxicology, inorganic chemistry
addressing water and sediment issues, and ground water.
D. Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0725
Title: Availability of Draft Chemical Risk Assessments; Public
Comment Opportunity: Methylene Chloride (dichloromethane, DCM; CASRN
75-09-2) and N-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP; CASRN 872-50-4).
Chemicals Covered: Methylene Chloride (dichloromethane, DCM; CASRN
75-09-2) and N-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP; CASRN 872-50-4).
Summary: These related draft assessments focus on the use of DCM
and NMP in paint stripping and will be addressed by the same peer
review panel. With regard to DCM, the draft assessment focuses on
inhalation exposure to consumers and workers, and addresses human
health concerns for both cancer and non-cancer effects. The low concern
for environmental effects of DCM is discussed in the draft assessment.
With regard to NMP, the draft assessment focuses on inhalation and
dermal exposure to consumers and workers. The low concern for
environmental effects of NMP is discussed in the draft assessment.
For DCM and NMP, EPA is asking for nominations of peer reviewers
who are experts in the following areas: Inhalation toxicology,
toxicokinetics/PBPK modeling, dermal toxicology, neurotoxicology,
immunotoxicology, developmental and reproductive toxicology, cancer
biology, expertise in U.S. consumer modeling (inhalation and dermal),
expertise in occupational exposure assessment (inhalation and dermal)
especially as related to volatile organic chemicals.
The draft risk assessments on the two remaining chemicals from the
initial group of seven Work Plan chemicals scheduled to begin
assessment in 2012--the long- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins--
are on a different schedule for completion and will be made available
for public comment through another Federal Register notice issued on a
later date.
V. What is the next step?
The list of candidate peer reviewers, those nominated by the public
as well as those identified by a contractor, will be made available in
the Federal Register for public comment. After a 30-day comment period,
informed by any comments, the contractor will select the peer
reviewers. The detailed Peer Review Plans for the draft assessments are
accessible through the Agency's Peer Review Agenda Web site at http://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_pr_agenda.cfm. EPA will consider comments
received from the public and the subsequent peer review when finalizing
the individual chemical risk assessments and will describe in a written
report how EPA addressed public and reviewer comments in the
[[Page 1858]]
final assessments. EPA will issue another Federal Register notice to
announce the availability of the final risk assessments. If you have
any questions about any of these risk assessments or the Agency's
programs in general, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Dated: January 3, 2013.
Wendy C. Hamnett,
Director, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.
[FR Doc. 2013-00268 Filed 1-8-13; 8:45 am]
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