[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 51 (Tuesday, March 17, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 13046-13047] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-6874] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [OPP-00512; FRL-5758-1] Testing Guidelines; Notice of Availability AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of availability. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: EPA has established a unified library for test guidelines issued by the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS). The unified library for test guidelines is periodically updated by notices of availability of final test guidelines in the Federal Register. This notice describes the unified library of OPPTS guidelines and announces the availability of final test guidelines for the following two series: Series 810--Product Performance Test Guidelines, Groups A and C; and Series 840--Spray Drift Test Guidelines. The changes to the guidelines are editorial in nature and do not amend the existing requirements under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). For both the 810 and 840 Series, the guidance for conducting the test studies has not been revised; however, background information provided in OPPTS 810.1000 and 840.1000 has been updated. Explicit test requirements for registration are set out in 40 CFR part 158 and the test guidelines contain standards for and examples of acceptable testing. Once final test guidelines are available through the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and the Internet, earlier guidelines published as the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Pesticide Assessment Guidelines will be removed from National Technical Information Services (NTIS). ADDRESSES: The test guidelines are available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 on the Federal Bulletin Board. By modem dial (202) 512-1387, telnet and ftp: fedbbs.access.gpo.gov (IP 162.140.64.19) or for disks or paper copies: call (202) 512-0132. The test guidelines are also available electronically in ASCII and PDF (portable document format) from the EPA's World Wide Web site (http:// www.epa.gov/epahome/research.htm) under the heading ``Researchers and Scientists/Test Methods and Guidelines/OPPTS Harmonized Test Guidelines.'' FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information: By mail: Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) information: Contact the Communications Services Branch (7506C), Field and External Affairs Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460, telephone number: (703) 305-5017, fax number: (703) 305-5558. For technical questions on Series 810 Group A test guidelines: David Brassard, (703) 308-1804 or e-mail: [email protected]. For technical questions on Series 810 Group C test guidelines: Phillip Hutton, (703) 308-8260 or e-mail: [email protected]. For technical questions on Series 840 test guidelines: Arnet Jones, 703-305-7416 or e-mail: [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. EPA's Process for Developing a Unified Library of Test Guidelines EPA's OPPTS has been engaged in a multi-year project to harmonize and/or update test guidelines among the OPP, the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The goals of the project include the formulation of harmonized OPP and OPPT test guidelines for those in common between the two programs, the harmonization of OPPT and/or OPP test guidelines with those of the OECD, as well as the updating of any test guidelines unique to OPP or OPPT programs. Test guidelines that are changed substantively in the harmonization process or through other updating/amending activities, or which are new (e.g., for a previously unaddressed test endpoint) will be made available for public comment by notice in the Federal Register. Additionally, EPA submits substantively revised and new test guidelines to peer review by expert scientific panels. Test guidelines which are reformatted but not changed in any substantive way are not made available for public comment or submitted to peer review. All final test guidelines will be made available through the GPO electronic Federal Bulletin Board and the Internet on the EPA World Wide Web Home Page as a unified library of OPPTS test guidelines for use by either EPA program office. Printed versions of the unified library of OPPTS test guidelines will also be available to the public through the GPO. For purposes of this Federal Register notice, ``publication'' of the unified library of test guidelines generally describes the availability of these final guidelines through the GPO and the Internet. Because harmonization and updating is an ongoing task that will periodically result in modified test guidelines, some test guidelines being made available via GPO and the Internet will be revised in the future. These efforts will ensure that industry is provided with test guidelines that are current. Explicit test requirements for pesticide registration are set out in 40 CFR part 158 which refers to specific test guidelines by guideline number. EPA recommends that the OPPTS test guidelines available through GPO and the Internet be consulted instead of the OPP Pesticide Assessment Guidelines published earlier through NTIS. The test guidelines appearing in the unified library will be given numerical designations that are different from the designations provided at 40 CFR parts 158, 795, 796, 797, 798, and 799. OPPTS test guidelines will be published in 10 disciplinary series as follows: Series 810--Product Performance Test Guidelines Series 830--Product Properties Test Guidelines Series 835--Fate, Transport and Transformation Test Guidelines Series 840--Spray Drift Test Guidelines Series 850--Ecological Effects Test Guidelines Series 860--Residue Chemistry Test Guidelines Series 870--Health Effects Test Guidelines Series 875--Occupational and Residential Exposure Test Guidelines Series 880--Biochemicals Test Guidelines Series 885--Microbial Pesticide Test Guidelines As each notice of availability is published for a set of test guidelines, the notice will contain a ``Master List'' for the series affected, which cross references the new OPPTS guideline [[Page 13047]] numbers to the original OPP, OPPT, and OECD numbers. 810 and 840 Series These final test guidelines in the 810 Series replace the corresponding test guidelines published in the OPP Pesticide Assessment Guidelines, Subdivision G: Product Performance (EPA Report 540/9-82- 026, October 1982). The Group A test guideline, OPPTS 810.1000, provides an overview, definitions, and general considerations for product performance testing. In addition, test standards for pesticides other than antimicrobials are included in this test guideline. This test guideline replaces OPP guidelines 90-1 through 90-30, 92-1 through 92-20, and 93-1 through 93-30. For Group C, the Agency is republishing only those efficacy or product performance test guidelines for public health uses of invertebrate control agents. The test guidelines in Group C have been minimally edited with no substantive changes and replace OPP guidelines 95-1 through 95-30. Group B (Public Health Uses of Antimicrobial Agents) and Group D (Vertebrate Control Agent Product Performance Guidelines) are under development and will be published in the future. The OPPTS Series 840--Spray Drift guidelines replace the OPP Pesticide Assessment Guidelines, Subdivision R: Pesticide Spray Drift Evaluation (EPA Report 540/9-84-002, April 1984), OPP guidelines 200-1 through 200-4, 201-1, and 202-1. The guidelines in the 840 series have been minimally edited for re-publication, but have not been changed in any substantive way except for the description of the ongoing effort in developing the Spray Drift Data Base included in OPPTS 840.1000. Although the Agency plans to revise its approach for testing for spray drift in the future, the current guidelines are in effect and are being republished as part of the unified library of OPPTS test guidelines. When the Agency has completed the process of revising the Spray Drift guidelines, the revised guidelines will replace the current guidelines. II. Notice of Availability of Final Test Guidelines This notice announces the availability of final test guidelines in the 810 Series (Group A and Group C) and the 840 Series. The following is the list of guidelines being made available at this time. Series 810--Product Performance Test Guidelines ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Existing Numbers EPA Pub. -------------------------------- no. OPPTS Number Name ----------- OTS OPP OECD 712-C- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Group A--General.................. 810.1000 Overview, Definitions, and General none 90-1, none 98-001 Considerations 90-3 90-30 Group C--Invertebrate Control Agent Product Performance Test Guidelines. 810.3000 General considerations for none 95-1 none 98-409 efficacy of invertebrate control agents 810.3100 Soil treatments for imported fire none 95-3 none 98-410 ants 810.3200 Livestock, poultry, fur- and wool- none 95-8 none 98-414 bearing animal treatments 810.3300 Treatments to control pests of none 95-9, 95- none 98-411 humans and pets 30 810.3400 Mosquito, black fly, and biting none 95-10 none 98-419 midge (sand fly) treatments 810.3500 Premises treatments none 95-11, 95- none 98-413 30 810.3600 Structural treatments none 95-12 none 98-424 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Series 840--Spray Drift Test Guidelines ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Existing Numbers EPA Pub. -------------------------------- no. OPPTS Number Name ----------- OTS OPP OECD 712-C- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 840.1000 Background for pesticide aerial none 201-1, none 98-319 drift evaluation 201-4 840.1100 Spray droplet size spectrum none 201-1 none 98-055 840.1200 Spray drift field deposition none 202-1 none 98-112 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- List of Subjects Environmental protection, Hazardous substances, Health. Dated: March 10, 1998. Susan H. Wayland, Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. [FR Doc. 98-6874 Filed 3-16-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6065-50-F