Lindane and Other Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) Isomers Risk Assessment; Notice of Availability and Solicitation of Risk Reduction Options, 6479-6480 [06-1103]

Agencies

• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 8, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6479-6480]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-1103]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0034; FRL-7759-6]


Lindane and Other Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) Isomers Risk 
Assessment; Notice of Availability and Solicitation of Risk Reduction 
Options

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of EPA's risk 
assessment for the organochlorine pesticide lindane, gamma 
hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and the other HCH isomers, and opens a 
public comment period on these documents. In addition, this notice 
solicits public comment on risk reduction options for lindane and the 
other HCH isomers. This action follows up on issues discussed in the 
July 2002 Lindane RED, in public comments EPA received on that decision 
document and in the draft North American Regional Action Plan (NARAP) 
on Lindane and other HCH Isomers.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 10, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0034, by one of the following methods:
     https://www.regulations.gov/. Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: opp-docket@epa.gov.
     Mail: Public Information and Records Integrity Branch 
(PIRIB) (7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001.
     Hand Delivery: Public Information and Records Integrity 
Branch (PIRIB) (7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), 
Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. 119, Crystal Mall 2, 1801 
S. Bell St., Arlington, VA, Attention: Docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2006-0034. The docket facility is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the 
docket facility is (703) 305-5805. Such deliveries are only accepted 
during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements 
should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2006-0034. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the public docket without change and may be made available on-line 
at https://www.regulations.gov/, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through regulations.gov or e-
mail. The regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous access'' system, 
which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information 
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-
mail comment directly to EPA without going through regulations.gov, 
your e-mail address will be captured automatically and included as part 
of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available 
on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends 
that you include your name and other contact information in the body of 
your comment and with any disk or CD ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read 
your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for 
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic 
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of 
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit the EPA Docket Center 
homepage at https://www.epa.gov/epahome/docket.htm/.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the 
regulation.gov index. Although listed in the index, some information is 
not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other information whose disclosure 
is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted 
material, will be publicly available only in hard copy. Publicly 
available docket materials are available either electronically at 
https://www.regulations.gov/ or in hard copy at the Public Information 
and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB) (7502C), Office of Pesticide 
Programs (OPP), Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. 119, Crystal Mall 
2, 1801 S. Bell St., Arlington, VA. The docket facility is 
open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The telephone number for the docket facility is (703) 305-
5805.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kimberly Nesci, Special Review and 
Reregistration Division (7508C), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-8059; fax 
number: (703) 308-8005; e-mail: nesci.kimberly@epa.govor Mark Howard, 
Special Review and Reregistration Division (7508C), Office of Pesticide 
Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-8172; fax 
number: (703) 308-8005; e-mail address: howard.markt@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

General Information

A. 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 environmental, human 
health, and agricultural advocates; the chemical industry; pesticide 
users; and members of the public interested in the sale, distribution, 
or use of pesticides. Since others also may be interested, the

[[Page 6480]]

Agency has not attempted to describe all the specific entities that may 
be affected by this action. If you have any questions regarding the 
applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

B. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through 
www.regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark the part or all of the 
information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or 
CD ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD ROM as 
CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD ROM the 
specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one 
complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as 
CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information 
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket. 
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with 
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
    2. Tips for preparing your comments. When submitting comments, 
remember to:
    i. Identify the document by docket number and other identifying 
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
    ii. Follow directions. The agency may ask you to respond to 
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
    iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and 
substitute language for your requested changes.
    iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information 
and/or data that you used.
    v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you 
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be 
reproduced.
    vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns, and 
suggest alternatives.
    vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of 
profanity or personal threats.
    viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period 
deadline identified.

II. Background

A. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    EPA is making available the risk assessment for lindane and the 
other HCH isomers. Lindane is an organochlorine pesticide currently 
used as a seed treatment on six agricultural crops, barley, corn, oats, 
rye, sorghum, and wheat. The other HCH isomers are byproducts of the 
manufacture of lindane. These isomers are mobile in the environment, 
condense in the Arctic, and have the potential to bioaccumulate, 
biomagnify, and bioconcentrate. HCH isomers have been detected in air, 
surface water, groundwater, sediment, soil, ice, snowpack, fish, 
wildlife, and humans.
    On July 31, 2002, EPA completed its Reregistration Eligibility 
Decision (RED) for lindane on the six remaining agricultural uses of 
lindane, seed treatment on barley, corn, oats, rye, sorghum, and wheat. 
The RED document states that the six remaining lindane seed treatment 
uses are eligible for reregistration provided that certain conditions 
are met, one of which is that the Agency is able to establish all 
required tolerances for lindane residues on food. In response to the 
RED, the Agency received comments stating that the other isomers should 
be considered. In addition, these isomers are considered in the draft 
North American Regional Action Plan (NARAP) on Lindane and other HCH 
Isomers. Consistent with the RED comments and the NARAP, the Agency 
prepared a risk assessment that considers risks resulting from human 
and environmental exposures to other HCH isomers of environmental 
significance produced as by-products during the manufacture of lindane.
    EPA is providing an opportunity, through this notice, for 
interested parties to provide comments and input on the Agency's risk 
assessment on lindane and the other HCH isomers. Such comments and 
input could address, for example, the assumptions used, availability of 
additional data to further inform the risk assessments, or could 
address the Agency's risk assessment methodologies and assumptions as 
applied to this specific pesticide. In addition, EPA is providing an 
opportunity, through this notice, for interested parties to provide 
risk management proposals or otherwise comment on risk management for 
lindane and the other HCH isomers.
    EPA seeks to achieve environmental justice, the fair treatment and 
meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, 
national origin, or income, in the development, implementation, and 
enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. To help 
address potential environmental justice issues, the Agency seeks 
information on any groups or segments of the population who, as a 
result of their location, cultural practices, or other factors, may 
have atypical, unusually high exposure to lindane and the other HCH 
isomers, compared to the general population.
    Comments should be limited to issues raised within the risk 
assessment and associated documents. Failure to comment on any such 
issues as part of this opportunity will not limit a commenter's 
opportunity to participate in any later notice and comment processes on 
this matter. All comments should be submitted using the methods in 
ADDRESSES, and must be received by EPA on or before the closing date. 
Comments will become part of the Agency Docket for lindane. Comments 
received after the close of the comment period will be marked ``late.'' 
EPA is not required to consider these late comments.

B. What is the Agency's Authority for Taking this Action?

    Section 4(g)(2) of FIFRA as amended directs that, after submission 
of all data concerning a pesticide active ingredient, ``the 
Administrator shall determine whether pesticides containing such active 
ingredient are eligible for reregistration,'' before calling in product 
specific data on individual end-use products and either reregistering 
products or taking other ``appropriate regulatory action.''
    Section 408(q) of the FFDCA, 21 U.S.C. 346a(q), requires EPA to 
review tolerances and exemptions for pesticide residues in effect as of 
August 2, 1996, to determine whether the tolerance or exemption meets 
the requirements of section 408(b)(2) or (c)(2) of FFDCA. This review 
is to be completed by August 3, 2006.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.

    Dated: January 31, 2006.
Peter Caulkins,
Acting Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of 
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 06-1103 Filed 2-7-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S