Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS); Announcement of 2006 Program, 29149-29152 [E6-7648]
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 97 / Friday, May 19, 2006 / Notices
EIS No. 20060194, Draft EIS, AFS, 00,
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Dated: May 16, 2006.
Robert W. Hargrove,
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[FR Doc. E6–7663 Filed 5–18–06; 8:45 am]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–8172–5; Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD–
2003–0016]
Integrated Risk Information System
(IRIS); Announcement of 2006 Program
Environmental Protection
Agency.
ACTION: Notice; correction.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) published a
document in the Federal Register of
February 23, 2006 (71 FR 9333),
announcing the IRIS 2006 program
agenda. EPA is correcting errors in the
list of substances.
The Integrated Risk Information
System (IRIS) is an EPA database that
contains the Agency’s scientific
positions on human health effects that
may result from exposure to chemical
substances in the environment. On
March 4, 2005, EPA announced the
2005 IRIS agenda (70 FR 10616), with
solicitation of scientific information
from the public for consideration in
assessing health effects from specific
chemical substances. All assessments
currently in progress are listed in this
notice. EPA is not initiating new
assessments in 2006 in order to focus on
completion of existing assessments.
This notice also provides an update on
EPA’ efforts to improve the IRIS health
assessment development and review
processes.
While EPA is not expressly
soliciting comments on this notice, the
Agency will accept information related
to the substances included herein.
Please submit any information in
accordance with the instructions
provided at the end of this notice.
ADDRESSES: Please submit relevant
scientific information identified by
docket ID number EPA–HQ–ORD–2003–
0016, online at https://
www.regulations.gov (EPA’ preferred
method); by e-mail to
ord.docket@epa.gov; mailed to EPA
Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mail Code: 2822T,
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460–0001; or by
hand delivery or courier to EPA Docket
Center, EPA West, Room B102, 1301
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington,
DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. Comments on a disk or CD–
ROM should be formatted in Word or as
an ASCII file, avoiding the use of special
characters and any form of encryption,
and may be mailed to the mailing
address above.
DATES:
PO 00000
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29149
For
information on the IRIS program,
contact Dr. Abdel-Razak Kadry, IRIS
Program Director, National Center for
Environmental Assessment, (mail code:
8601D), Office of Research and
Development, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Washington, DC
20460; telephone: (202) 564–1645,
facsimile: (202) 565–0075; or e-mail:
kadry.abdel@epa.gov.
For general questions about access to
IRIS, or the content of IRIS, please call
the IRIS Hotline at (202) 566–1676 or
send electronic mail inquiries to
hotline.iris@epa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
IRIS is an EPA database containing
Agency scientific positions on potential
adverse human health effects that may
result from exposure to chemical
substances found in the environment.
(EPA notes that information in the IRIS
database has no preclusive effect and
does not predetermine the outcome of
any rulemaking. When EPA uses such
information to support a rulemaking,
the scientific basis for, and the
application of, that information are
subject to comment.) IRIS currently
provides information on health effects
associated with more than 500 chemical
substances.
The database includes chemicalspecific summaries of qualitative and
quantitative health information in
support of the first two steps of the risk
assessment process, i.e., hazard
identification and dose-response
evaluation. Combined with specific
situational exposure assessment
information, the information in IRIS is
an important source in evaluating
potential public health risks from
environmental contaminants.
EPA’s overall process for developing
IRIS assessments consists of: (1) An
annual Federal Register announcement
of EPA’s IRIS agenda and call for
scientific information from the public
on selected chemical substances; (2) a
search of the scientific literature; (3)
development of IRIS Summaries and
support documents; (4) EPA-wide
review; (5) external peer review; (6)
management review and approval; and
(7) entry of IRIS Summaries and support
documents into the IRIS database
(https://www.epa.gov/iris).
The IRIS Annual Agenda
Each year, EPA develops an annual
agenda for the IRIS program and
announces new assessments under
review. A focus of the IRIS Program for
2006 is to move forward the 75
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 97 / Friday, May 19, 2006 / Notices
assessments already in progress. In light
of this focus, EPA will not initiate any
new assessments in 2006. This notice
provides: (1) A list of IRIS assessments
in progress; (2) an update on
improvements made to the IRIS program
and preliminary notice of further
improvements under consideration.
Assessments in Progress
The following assessments are
underway. Each was listed in the 2005
IRIS agenda. The status and planned
milestone dates for each assessment can
be found on the IRIS Track system,
accessible from the IRIS database. All
health endpoints due to chronic
exposure, cancer and noncancer, are
being assessed unless otherwise noted.
For all endpoints assessed, both
qualitative and quantitative assessments
are being developed where information
is available. Those substances denoted
with an asterisk (*) may require
additional time for analysis or peer
review due to their large databases or
complex assessment issues. Substances
denoted with a double asterisk (**) are
being evaluated for effects from acute
and/or other less-than-lifetime exposure
durations. These substances are part of
a pilot test to evaluate the application of
methods, procedures, and resource
needs for adding health effects
information for less-than-lifetime
exposure durations to IRIS. Additional
less-than-lifetime durations may be
added to ongoing chronic assessments
as needs arise and resources permit.
wwhite on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
Substance name
CAS No.
acetaldehyde ...................................................................................................................................................................
acrolein** .........................................................................................................................................................................
acrylamide .......................................................................................................................................................................
acrylonitrile ......................................................................................................................................................................
aldicarb/aldicarb sulfoxide ..............................................................................................................................................
aldicarb sulfone ...............................................................................................................................................................
arsenic ............................................................................................................................................................................
asbestos* ........................................................................................................................................................................
benzene** .......................................................................................................................................................................
benzo(a)pyrene ...............................................................................................................................................................
beryllium (cancer effects) ...............................................................................................................................................
bromobenzene ................................................................................................................................................................
butyl benzyl phthalate .....................................................................................................................................................
cadmium .........................................................................................................................................................................
carbon tetrachloride ........................................................................................................................................................
cerium .............................................................................................................................................................................
chloroethane ...................................................................................................................................................................
chloroform (inhalation route) ...........................................................................................................................................
chloroprene .....................................................................................................................................................................
cobalt ..............................................................................................................................................................................
copper .............................................................................................................................................................................
dibutyl phthalate (chronic; less-than-lifetime** exposures) ............................................................................................
1,2-dichlorobenzene .......................................................................................................................................................
1,3-dichlorobenzene .......................................................................................................................................................
1,4-dichlorobenzene .......................................................................................................................................................
1,2-dichloroethylene ........................................................................................................................................................
di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate (DEHA) ......................................................................................................................................
di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate .................................................................................................................................................
1,4-dioxane .....................................................................................................................................................................
ethanol ............................................................................................................................................................................
ethyl tertiary butyl ether ..................................................................................................................................................
ethylbenzene ...................................................................................................................................................................
ethylene dichloride ..........................................................................................................................................................
ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (cancer effects) ...........................................................................................................
ethylene oxide (cancer effects; noncancer acute** exp.) ...............................................................................................
formaldehyde* .................................................................................................................................................................
hexachlorobutadiene .......................................................................................................................................................
hexachloroethane ...........................................................................................................................................................
hexachlorocyclopentadiene** ..........................................................................................................................................
hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-triazine (RDX) ...........................................................................................................................
2-hexanone .....................................................................................................................................................................
hydrogen cyanide ...........................................................................................................................................................
hydrogen sulfide** ...........................................................................................................................................................
isopropanol .....................................................................................................................................................................
kepone ............................................................................................................................................................................
methanol .........................................................................................................................................................................
methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) .......................................................................................................................................
methylene chloride (dichloromethane) ...........................................................................................................................
mirex ...............................................................................................................................................................................
naphthalene (inhalation route)* ......................................................................................................................................
nickel (soluble salts) .......................................................................................................................................................
nitrobenzene ...................................................................................................................................................................
PAH mixtures* ................................................................................................................................................................
pentachlorophenol ..........................................................................................................................................................
perfluorooctanoic acid-ammonium salt (PFOA) .............................................................................................................
perfluorooctane sulfonate-potassium salt (PFOS) .........................................................................................................
phosgene (acute** exposure) .........................................................................................................................................
platinum ..........................................................................................................................................................................
polybrominated diphenyl ethers (tetra, penta, hexa, deca-BDEs) .................................................................................
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75–07–0.
107–02–8.
79–06–1.
107–13–1.
116–06–3/1646–87–3.
1646–88–4.
7440–38–2.
1332–21–4.
71–43–2.
50–32–8.
7440–41–7.
108–86–1.
85–68–7.
7440–43–9.
56–23–5.
1306–38–3.
75–00–3.
67–66–3.
126–99–8.
7440–48–4.
7440–50–8.
84–74–2.
95–50–1.
541–73–1.
106–46–7.
540–59–0.
103–23–1.
117–81–7.
123–91–1.
64–17–5.
637–92–3.
100–41–4.
107–06–2.
111–76–2.
75–21–8.
50–00–0.
87–68–3.
67–72–1.
77–47–4.
121–82–4.
591–78–6.
74–90–8.
7783–06–4.
67–63–0.
43–50–0.
67–56–1.
1634–04–4.
75–09–2.
2385–85–5.
91–20–3.
[n.a.-various].
98–95–3.
[n.a.-various].
87–86–5.
3825–26–1.
2795–39–3.
75–44–5.
7440–06–4.
[n.a.-various].
29151
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 97 / Friday, May 19, 2006 / Notices
Substance name
CAS No.
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (noncancer endpoints) .............................................................................................
propionaldehyde .............................................................................................................................................................
refractory ceramic fibers .................................................................................................................................................
styrene ............................................................................................................................................................................
2,3,7,8–TCDD (dioxin)* ...................................................................................................................................................
1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (chronic; less-than-lifetime** exp.) ........................................................................................
tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene) .........................................................................................................................
tetrahydrofuran ................................................................................................................................................................
thallium ............................................................................................................................................................................
trichloroacetic acid ..........................................................................................................................................................
1,1,1-trichloroethane (chronic; less-than-lifetime** exp.) ................................................................................................
trichloroethylene* ............................................................................................................................................................
1,2,3-trichloropropane .....................................................................................................................................................
2,2,4-trimethylpentane ....................................................................................................................................................
uranium compounds .......................................................................................................................................................
vinyl acetate ....................................................................................................................................................................
wwhite on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
Note that the asbestos noncancer
assessment has been expanded to
include cancer effects. Also note that
the following assessments are being
withdrawn from the IRIS agenda:
Bromodichloromethane, bromoform,
and dibromochloromethane are drinking
water disinfection byproducts with
criteria documents currently available
from EPA’s Office of Water.
Cryptosporidium is withdrawn from the
IRIS agenda pending completion of a
microbial risk assessment approach.
These are the only substantive changes
to the IRIS agenda.
IRIS Summaries and support
documents for all substances listed as
on-going assessments in 2006 will be
provided on the IRIS Web site at
https://www.epa.gov/iris as they are
completed. This publicly available Web
site is EPA’s primary location for IRIS
documents. In addition, external peer
review drafts of IRIS assessments are
posted for public information and
comment. These drafts will continue to
be accessible via the IRIS and NCEA
Web sites. Note that these drafts are
intended for public information only,
and do not represent the Agency’s final
position.
Other Improvements to the IRIS
Program—Update
As discussed in the Federal Register
notice announcing the 2005 agenda,
EPA is improving the IRIS program and
its products through a series of program
reforms. EPA has expanded its central
IRIS Staff to better manage the program
and promote scientific quality and
consistency. In addition, external
scientific peer reviews are being
conducted routinely by panel meetings
rather than by mail reviews. This step
is being taken to provide the best
possible scientific evaluation of each
assessment. Further, EPA now conducts
each external peer review at the end of
each IRIS assessment review process,
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strengthening the role of peer review in
informing the outcome of the process. A
public comment period prior to panel
peer review meetings is now standard
practice, and the meetings are open to
the public for observation. These
program reforms facilitate scientific
input from the public and make the peer
review process more transparent.
Further enhancements to the IRIS
assessment development and review
process are currently under
consideration. A follow-up notice will
be published in the Federal Register to
announce a public workshop on
proposed additions to the IRIS process
in 2006.
General Information
As of Monday, November 28, 2005,
EPA’s EDOCKET was replaced by the
Federal Docket Management System
(FDMS), the new Federal governmentwide system. FDMS was created to
provide a single point of access to all
Federal rulemaking activities. All
materials previously found in EDOCKET
are now available on the Internet at
https://www.regulations.gov.
A. How Can I Get Copies of Related
Information?
EPA has established an official public
docket for this action under Docket ID
No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2003–0016. The
official public docket is the collection of
materials that is available for public
viewing at the Office of Environmental
Information (OEI) Docket in the EPA
Docket Center, EPA West, Room B102,
1301 Constitution Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC. The EPA Docket
Center Public Reading Room is open
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. The telephone number for the
Public Reading Room is (202) 566–1744,
and the telephone number for the OEI
Docket is (202) 566–1752.
PO 00000
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1336–36–3.
123–38–6.
[n.a.].
100–42–5.
1746–01–6.
79–34–5.
127–18–4.
109–99–9.
7440–28–0.
76–03–9.
71–55–6.
79–01–6.
96–18–4.
540–84–1.
[n.a.-various].
108–05–4.
An electronic version of the public
docket is available through EPA’s
electronic public docket and comment
system. EPA Dockets at https://
www.regulations.gov may be used to
submit or view public submissions,
access the index listing of the contents
of the official public docket, and to
access those documents in the public
docket that are available electronically.
Once in the system, select ‘‘search’’,
then key in the appropriate docket
identification number.
It is important to note that EPA’s
policy is that public submissions,
whether submitted electronically or in
paper, will be made available for public
viewing in EPA’s electronic public
docket as EPA receives them and
without change, unless the submission
contains copyrighted material, CBI, or
other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Information
claimed as CBI and other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute
are not included in the official public
docket or in EPA’s electronic public
docket. EPA’s policy is that copyrighted
material, including copyrighted material
contained in a public comment, will not
be placed in EPA’s electronic public
docket but will be available only in
printed, paper form in the official public
docket. Although not all docket
materials may be available
electronically, you may still access any
of the publicly available docket
materials through the EPA Docket
Center.
B. How and To Whom Do I Submit
Information?
Information on chemical substances
listed in this notice may be submitted as
provided in the ADDRESSES section. If
you submit electronic information, EPA
recommends that you include your
name, mailing address, and an e-mail
address or other contact information in
the body of your submission and with
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any disk or CD–ROM you submit. This
ensures that you can be identified as the
submitter of the information and allows
EPA to contact you in case EPA cannot
read your information due to technical
difficulties or needs further information
on the substance of your submission.
Any identifying or contact information
provided in the body of submitted
information will be included as part of
the submission information that is
placed in the official public docket, and
made available in EPA’s electronic
public docket. If EPA cannot read your
information due to technical difficulties
and cannot contact you for clarification,
EPA may not be able to consider your
information.
Your use of EPA’s electronic public
docket to submit information to EPA
electronically is EPA’s preferred method
for receiving submissions. The
electronic public docket system is an
‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which
means EPA will not know your identity,
e-mail address, or other contact
information unless you provide it in the
body of your submission. In contrast to
EPA’s electronic public docket, EPA’s
electronic mail (e-mail) system is not an
‘‘anonymous access’’ system. If you
send e-mail directly to the docket
without going through EPA’s electronic
public docket, your e-mail address is
automatically captured and included as
part of the submission that is placed in
the official public docket, and made
available in EPA’s electronic public
docket.
Dated: May 8, 2006.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental
Assessment.
[FR Doc. E6–7648 Filed 5–18–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–8172–6, Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD–
2004–0018]
Draft Air Quality Criteria for Lead
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of public comment
period on a second external review
draft.
wwhite on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The EPA is announcing a
public comment period for the draft
document titled, ‘‘Air Quality Criteria
for Lead; Second External Review Draft’’
(EPA/600/R–05/144aB–bB). The
document was prepared by the National
Center for Environmental Assessment
within EPA’s Office of Research and
Development.
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EPA is releasing this draft document
solely for the purpose of seeking public
comment. It does not represent and
should not be construed to represent
any Agency policy, viewpoint, or
determination. EPA will consider any
public comments submitted in
accordance with this notice when
revising the document.
DATES: The public comment period
begins on or about May 15, 2006, and
ends June 27, 2006. Comments must be
received on or before June 27, 2006.
ADDRESSES: The draft ‘‘Air Quality
Criteria for Lead; Second External
Review Draft’’ will be available
primarily via the Internet on the
National Center for Environmental
Assessment’s home page under the
Recent Additions and Publications
menus at https://www.epa.gov/ncea. A
limited number of CD–ROM or paper
copies will be available. Contact Ms.
Diane Ray by phone (919–541–3637),
fax (919–541–1818), or e-mail
(ray.diane@epa.gov) to request either of
these, and please provide your name,
your mailing address, and the document
title, ‘‘Air Quality Criteria for Lead;
Second External Review Draft,’’ (EPA/
600/R–05/144aB–bB) to facilitate
processing of your request.
Submit your comments, identified by
Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2004–
0018, by one of the following methods:
• https://www.regulations.gov: Follow
the on-line instructions for submitting
comments.
• E-mail: ORD.Docket@epa.gov.
• Fax: 202–566–1753; Office of
Environmental Information (OEI) Docket
in the Headquarters EPA Docket Center.
• Mail: Office of Environmental
Information (OEI) Docket in the
Headquarters EPA Docket Center (Mail
Code 2822T), U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460. If
you provide information in writing,
please submit one unbound original,
with pages numbered consecutively,
and three copies. For attachments,
provide an index, number pages
consecutively with the main text, and
submit an unbound original and three
copies.
• Hand Delivery: Office of
Environmental Information (OEI) Docket
in the Headquarters EPA Docket Center,
EPA West Building, Room B102, 1301
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington,
DC. The EPA Docket Center Public
Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays. The telephone
number for the Public Reading Room is
202–566–1744, and the telephone
number for the OEI Docket is 202–566–
PO 00000
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1752. 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 No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2004–
0018. EPA’s policy is that all comments
received will be included in the public
docket without change and may be
made available online at https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided, unless
the included information is claimed as
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 https://
www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The
https://www.regulations.gov Web site 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 https://
www.regulations.gov, your e-mail
address will be automatically captured
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
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 home page at https://
www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the docket
are listed in the https://
www.regulations.gov index. Although
listed in the index, some information is
not publicly available, e.g., 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 in https://
www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at
the OEI Docket, EPA/DC, EPA West,
Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave.,
NW., Washington, DC. The Public
Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays. The telephone
number for the Public Reading Room is
202–566–1744, and the telephone
number for the OEI Docket is 202–566–
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 97 (Friday, May 19, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29149-29152]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-7648]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8172-5; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2003-0016]
Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS); Announcement of 2006
Program
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice; correction.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a
document in the Federal Register of February 23, 2006 (71 FR 9333),
announcing the IRIS 2006 program agenda. EPA is correcting errors in
the list of substances.
The Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) is an EPA database
that contains the Agency's scientific positions on human health effects
that may result from exposure to chemical substances in the
environment. On March 4, 2005, EPA announced the 2005 IRIS agenda (70
FR 10616), with solicitation of scientific information from the public
for consideration in assessing health effects from specific chemical
substances. All assessments currently in progress are listed in this
notice. EPA is not initiating new assessments in 2006 in order to focus
on completion of existing assessments. This notice also provides an
update on EPA' efforts to improve the IRIS health assessment
development and review processes.
DATES: While EPA is not expressly soliciting comments on this notice,
the Agency will accept information related to the substances included
herein. Please submit any information in accordance with the
instructions provided at the end of this notice.
ADDRESSES: Please submit relevant scientific information identified by
docket ID number EPA-HQ-ORD-2003-0016, online at https://
www.regulations.gov (EPA' preferred method); by e-mail to
ord.docket@epa.gov; mailed to EPA Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mail Code: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; or by hand delivery or courier to EPA Docket
Center, EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington,
DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding
legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be formatted in
Word or as an ASCII file, avoiding the use of special characters and
any form of encryption, and may be mailed to the mailing address above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the IRIS program,
contact Dr. Abdel-Razak Kadry, IRIS Program Director, National Center
for Environmental Assessment, (mail code: 8601D), Office of Research
and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
20460; telephone: (202) 564-1645, facsimile: (202) 565-0075; or e-mail:
kadry.abdel@epa.gov.
For general questions about access to IRIS, or the content of IRIS,
please call the IRIS Hotline at (202) 566-1676 or send electronic mail
inquiries to hotline.iris@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
IRIS is an EPA database containing Agency scientific positions on
potential adverse human health effects that may result from exposure to
chemical substances found in the environment. (EPA notes that
information in the IRIS database has no preclusive effect and does not
predetermine the outcome of any rulemaking. When EPA uses such
information to support a rulemaking, the scientific basis for, and the
application of, that information are subject to comment.) IRIS
currently provides information on health effects associated with more
than 500 chemical substances.
The database includes chemical-specific summaries of qualitative
and quantitative health information in support of the first two steps
of the risk assessment process, i.e., hazard identification and dose-
response evaluation. Combined with specific situational exposure
assessment information, the information in IRIS is an important source
in evaluating potential public health risks from environmental
contaminants.
EPA's overall process for developing IRIS assessments consists of:
(1) An annual Federal Register announcement of EPA's IRIS agenda and
call for scientific information from the public on selected chemical
substances; (2) a search of the scientific literature; (3) development
of IRIS Summaries and support documents; (4) EPA-wide review; (5)
external peer review; (6) management review and approval; and (7) entry
of IRIS Summaries and support documents into the IRIS database (https://
www.epa.gov/iris).
The IRIS Annual Agenda
Each year, EPA develops an annual agenda for the IRIS program and
announces new assessments under review. A focus of the IRIS Program for
2006 is to move forward the 75
[[Page 29150]]
assessments already in progress. In light of this focus, EPA will not
initiate any new assessments in 2006. This notice provides: (1) A list
of IRIS assessments in progress; (2) an update on improvements made to
the IRIS program and preliminary notice of further improvements under
consideration.
Assessments in Progress
The following assessments are underway. Each was listed in the 2005
IRIS agenda. The status and planned milestone dates for each assessment
can be found on the IRIS Track system, accessible from the IRIS
database. All health endpoints due to chronic exposure, cancer and
noncancer, are being assessed unless otherwise noted. For all endpoints
assessed, both qualitative and quantitative assessments are being
developed where information is available. Those substances denoted with
an asterisk (*) may require additional time for analysis or peer review
due to their large databases or complex assessment issues. Substances
denoted with a double asterisk (**) are being evaluated for effects
from acute and/or other less-than-lifetime exposure durations. These
substances are part of a pilot test to evaluate the application of
methods, procedures, and resource needs for adding health effects
information for less-than-lifetime exposure durations to IRIS.
Additional less-than-lifetime durations may be added to ongoing chronic
assessments as needs arise and resources permit.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Substance name CAS No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
acetaldehyde..................... 75-07-0.
acrolein**....................... 107-02-8.
acrylamide....................... 79-06-1.
acrylonitrile.................... 107-13-1.
aldicarb/aldicarb sulfoxide...... 116-06-3/1646-87-3.
aldicarb sulfone................. 1646-88-4.
arsenic.......................... 7440-38-2.
asbestos*........................ 1332-21-4.
benzene**........................ 71-43-2.
benzo(a)pyrene................... 50-32-8.
beryllium (cancer effects)....... 7440-41-7.
bromobenzene..................... 108-86-1.
butyl benzyl phthalate........... 85-68-7.
cadmium.......................... 7440-43-9.
carbon tetrachloride............. 56-23-5.
cerium........................... 1306-38-3.
chloroethane..................... 75-00-3.
chloroform (inhalation route).... 67-66-3.
chloroprene...................... 126-99-8.
cobalt........................... 7440-48-4.
copper........................... 7440-50-8.
dibutyl phthalate (chronic; less- 84-74-2.
than-lifetime** exposures).
1,2-dichlorobenzene.............. 95-50-1.
1,3-dichlorobenzene.............. 541-73-1.
1,4-dichlorobenzene.............. 106-46-7.
1,2-dichloroethylene............. 540-59-0.
di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate (DEHA)... 103-23-1.
di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate........ 117-81-7.
1,4-dioxane...................... 123-91-1.
ethanol.......................... 64-17-5.
ethyl tertiary butyl ether....... 637-92-3.
ethylbenzene..................... 100-41-4.
ethylene dichloride.............. 107-06-2.
ethylene glycol monobutyl ether 111-76-2.
(cancer effects).
ethylene oxide (cancer effects; 75-21-8.
noncancer acute** exp.).
formaldehyde*.................... 50-00-0.
hexachlorobutadiene.............. 87-68-3.
hexachloroethane................. 67-72-1.
hexachlorocyclopentadiene**...... 77-47-4.
hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-triazine 121-82-4.
(RDX).
2-hexanone....................... 591-78-6.
hydrogen cyanide................. 74-90-8.
hydrogen sulfide**............... 7783-06-4.
isopropanol...................... 67-63-0.
kepone........................... 43-50-0.
methanol......................... 67-56-1.
methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)... 1634-04-4.
methylene chloride 75-09-2.
(dichloromethane).
mirex............................ 2385-85-5.
naphthalene (inhalation route)*.. 91-20-3.
nickel (soluble salts)........... [n.a.-various].
nitrobenzene..................... 98-95-3.
PAH mixtures*.................... [n.a.-various].
pentachlorophenol................ 87-86-5.
perfluorooctanoic acid-ammonium 3825-26-1.
salt (PFOA).
perfluorooctane sulfonate- 2795-39-3.
potassium salt (PFOS).
phosgene (acute** exposure)...... 75-44-5.
platinum......................... 7440-06-4.
polybrominated diphenyl ethers [n.a.-various].
(tetra, penta, hexa, deca-BDEs).
[[Page 29151]]
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) 1336-36-3.
(noncancer endpoints).
propionaldehyde.................. 123-38-6.
refractory ceramic fibers........ [n.a.].
styrene.......................... 100-42-5.
2,3,7,8-TCDD (dioxin)*........... 1746-01-6.
1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane 79-34-5.
(chronic; less-than-lifetime**
exp.).
tetrachloroethylene 127-18-4.
(perchloroethylene).
tetrahydrofuran.................. 109-99-9.
thallium......................... 7440-28-0.
trichloroacetic acid............. 76-03-9.
1,1,1-trichloroethane (chronic; 71-55-6.
less-than-lifetime** exp.).
trichloroethylene*............... 79-01-6.
1,2,3-trichloropropane........... 96-18-4.
2,2,4-trimethylpentane........... 540-84-1.
uranium compounds................ [n.a.-various].
vinyl acetate.................... 108-05-4.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note that the asbestos noncancer assessment has been expanded to
include cancer effects. Also note that the following assessments are
being withdrawn from the IRIS agenda: Bromodichloromethane, bromoform,
and dibromochloromethane are drinking water disinfection byproducts
with criteria documents currently available from EPA's Office of Water.
Cryptosporidium is withdrawn from the IRIS agenda pending completion of
a microbial risk assessment approach. These are the only substantive
changes to the IRIS agenda.
IRIS Summaries and support documents for all substances listed as
on-going assessments in 2006 will be provided on the IRIS Web site at
https://www.epa.gov/iris as they are completed. This publicly available
Web site is EPA's primary location for IRIS documents. In addition,
external peer review drafts of IRIS assessments are posted for public
information and comment. These drafts will continue to be accessible
via the IRIS and NCEA Web sites. Note that these drafts are intended
for public information only, and do not represent the Agency's final
position.
Other Improvements to the IRIS Program--Update
As discussed in the Federal Register notice announcing the 2005
agenda, EPA is improving the IRIS program and its products through a
series of program reforms. EPA has expanded its central IRIS Staff to
better manage the program and promote scientific quality and
consistency. In addition, external scientific peer reviews are being
conducted routinely by panel meetings rather than by mail reviews. This
step is being taken to provide the best possible scientific evaluation
of each assessment. Further, EPA now conducts each external peer review
at the end of each IRIS assessment review process, strengthening the
role of peer review in informing the outcome of the process. A public
comment period prior to panel peer review meetings is now standard
practice, and the meetings are open to the public for observation.
These program reforms facilitate scientific input from the public and
make the peer review process more transparent.
Further enhancements to the IRIS assessment development and review
process are currently under consideration. A follow-up notice will be
published in the Federal Register to announce a public workshop on
proposed additions to the IRIS process in 2006.
General Information
As of Monday, November 28, 2005, EPA's EDOCKET was replaced by the
Federal Docket Management System (FDMS), the new Federal government-
wide system. FDMS was created to provide a single point of access to
all Federal rulemaking activities. All materials previously found in
EDOCKET are now available on the Internet at https://
www.regulations.gov.
A. How Can I Get Copies of Related Information?
EPA has established an official public docket for this action under
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2003-0016. The official public docket is the
collection of materials that is available for public viewing at the
Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket in the EPA Docket
Center, EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington,
DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The
telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the
telephone number for the OEI Docket is (202) 566-1752.
An electronic version of the public docket is available through
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system. EPA Dockets at
https://www.regulations.gov may be used to submit or view public
submissions, access the index listing of the contents of the official
public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that
are available electronically. Once in the system, select ``search'',
then key in the appropriate docket identification number.
It is important to note that EPA's policy is that public
submissions, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made
available for public viewing in EPA's electronic public docket as EPA
receives them and without change, unless the submission contains
copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Information claimed as CBI and other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute are not included in the
official public docket or in EPA's electronic public docket. EPA's
policy is that copyrighted material, including copyrighted material
contained in a public comment, will not be placed in EPA's electronic
public docket but will be available only in printed, paper form in the
official public docket. Although not all docket materials may be
available electronically, you may still access any of the publicly
available docket materials through the EPA Docket Center.
B. How and To Whom Do I Submit Information?
Information on chemical substances listed in this notice may be
submitted as provided in the ADDRESSES section. If you submit
electronic information, EPA recommends that you include your name,
mailing address, and an e-mail address or other contact information in
the body of your submission and with
[[Page 29152]]
any disk or CD-ROM you submit. This ensures that you can be identified
as the submitter of the information and allows EPA to contact you in
case EPA cannot read your information due to technical difficulties or
needs further information on the substance of your submission. Any
identifying or contact information provided in the body of submitted
information will be included as part of the submission information that
is placed in the official public docket, and made available in EPA's
electronic public docket. If EPA cannot read your information due to
technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA
may not be able to consider your information.
Your use of EPA's electronic public docket to submit information to
EPA electronically is EPA's preferred method for receiving submissions.
The electronic public docket system is an ``anonymous access'' system,
which means EPA will not know your identity, e-mail address, or other
contact information unless you provide it in the body of your
submission. In contrast to EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's
electronic mail (e-mail) system is not an ``anonymous access'' system.
If you send e-mail directly to the docket without going through EPA's
electronic public docket, your e-mail address is automatically captured
and included as part of the submission that is placed in the official
public docket, and made available in EPA's electronic public docket.
Dated: May 8, 2006.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. E6-7648 Filed 5-18-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
