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Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS): Announcement of 2000 Program--Addendum; Request for Information

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

  [Federal Register: May 17, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 96)]
[Notices]
[Page 31309-31310]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17my00-43]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6700-5]


Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS): Announcement of 2000
Program--Addendum; Request for Information

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice; addendum to announcement of IRIS 2000 program
and request for scientific information on health effects that may
result from chronic exposure to chemical substances.

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SUMMARY: The Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) is an
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data base that contains EPA
scientific consensus positions on human health effects that may result
from chronic exposure to chemical substances in the environment. On
January 12, 2000, EPA announced the 2000 IRIS agenda and solicited
scientific information from the public for consideration in assessing
health effects from specific chemical substances. This notice adds the
chemical substances hexachlorobenzene and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-
triazine (``RDX'') to the IRIS agenda, and solicits scientific data and
evaluations for consideration in EPA's assessments.

DATES: Please submit information in response to this notice by
July 17, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Please send relevant scientific information to the
IRIS Submission Desk in accordance with the instructions provided under
``Submission of Information'' in this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the IRIS
program, contact Amy Mills, National Center for Environmental
Assessment (mail code 8601D), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Washington, DC 20460, or call (202) 564-3204, or send electronic mail
inquiries to mills.amy@epa.gov. For general questions about access to
IRIS, or the content of IRIS, please call the Risk Information Hotline
at (513) 569-7254.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    IRIS is an EPA data base containing Agency consensus scientific
positions on potential adverse human health effects that may result
from chronic (or lifetime) exposure to chemical substances found in the
environment. IRIS currently provides health effects information on over
500 specific chemical substances.
    IRIS contains 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. IRIS information includes the reference dose for
noncancer health effects resulting from oral exposure, the reference
concentration for noncancer health effects resulting from inhalation
exposure, and the carcinogen assessment for both oral and inhalation
exposure. Combined with specific situational exposure assessment
information, the summary health hazard information in IRIS may be used
as a source in evaluating potential public health risks from
environmental contaminants.

The IRIS Program

    EPA's process for developing IRIS consists of: (1) An annual
Federal Register announcement of EPA's IRIS agenda and call for
scientific information from the public on the selected chemical
substances, (2) a search of the current literature, (3) development of
health assessments and draft IRIS summaries, (4) peer review within
EPA, (5) peer review outside EPA, (6) EPA consensus review and
management approval, (7) preparation of final IRIS summaries and
supporting documents, and (8) entry of summaries and supporting
documents into the IRIS data base.

Purpose of This Notice

    EPA is adding the chemical substances hexachlorobenzene (CAS No.
118-74-1) and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-triazine or ``RDX,'' (CAS
No.121-82-4) to its assessment agenda for fiscal year 2000. EPA is
hereby requesting scientific information from the public for
consideration in these two assessments.
    As described in the January 12, 2000, Federal Register
document (63 FR 1863) announcing the IRIS agenda for fiscal year
2000, EPA is testing ways to cooperate with external parties, including
other government agencies, in the development of supporting
documentation for IRIS. The Agency is initiating these two assessments
to build upon a common interest with other federal agencies. EPA's
Superfund program has identified a strong need to update the existing
IRIS entry for hexachlorobenzene. This substance is frequently found at
Superfund sites and is critical to a number of human health risk
assessments. Concurrently, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR) has identified hexachlorobenzene as a priority
substance for developing a revised Toxicological Profile. EPA and ATSDR
will therefore coordinate their efforts in developing the IRIS
Toxicological Review and the revised ATSDR Toxicological Profile for
Hexachlorobenzene. Similarly, the U.S. Army has identified a strong
need to update the existing IRIS entry for RDX, which frequently occurs
at federal facilities operated by the U.S. Army and is critical to a
number of human health risk assessments. EPA and the U.S. Army will
coordinate their efforts in developing a Toxicological Review for RDX.
New scientific information is available to evaluate and reassess the
potential health effects of both substances.
    These joint efforts with other federal agencies is a pilot effort
to utilize federal resources more effectively and provide more
consistent information to the public. Completion of the
hexachlorobenzene and RDX assessments and addition to the IRIS data
base is expected by fiscal year 2002.

Submission of Information

    As in previous Federal Register documents announcing the
annual IRIS agenda, EPA is soliciting public information on
hexachlorobenzene and RDX. While EPA conducts a thorough literature
search for each chemical substance, there may be other articles or
unpublished studies we are not aware of. We would greatly appreciate
receiving scientific information from the public during the information
gathering. Interested persons should provide scientific comments,
analyses, studies, and other pertinent scientific information. The most
useful documents for EPA are unpublished studies or other primary
technical sources that we may not otherwise obtain through open
literature searches. Also note that if you have submitted certain
information previously, there is no need to resubmit that information.
Information from the public is being solicited for 60 days via this
notice.

Procedures for Submission

    As described in the January 12, 2000, Federal Register
document, submissions will be handled in a three-step process:
    1. Submission Inventory: First, you should simply provide a list
within 60

[[Page 31310]]

days of this notice briefly identifying all the information (reports,
papers, articles, etc.) you wish to submit. The list should specify by
name and CASRN (Chemical Abstract Service Registry Number) the chemical
substance(s) to which the information pertains, state the type of
assessment that is being addressed (e.g., carcinogenicity), and
describe briefly the information to be submitted for consideration.
Where possible, documents should be listed in scientific citation
format, that is, author(s), title, journal, and date. Your cover letter
should: state that the correspondence is an IRIS submission, describe
in general terms the purpose of the submission, and include names,
addresses, and telephone numbers of persons to contact for additional
information. Mail two copies of the submission to the IRIS Submission
Desk, c/o Courtney R. Johnson, National Center for Environmental
Assessment (8601D), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington,
DC 20460.
    Alternatively, you may submit the submission inventory and cover
letter electronically to IRIS.desk@epa.gov. Electronic information must
be submitted in WordPerfect or as an ASCII file. Information will also
be accepted on 3.5'' disks. All information in electronic form must be
identified as an IRIS submission.
    2. EPA Replies to Submission Inventory: In the second step, EPA
will compare the submission inventory to existing files and identify
the information that should be submitted. This step will help prevent
an influx of duplicative information. You will receive notification
requesting full submission of the selected material.
    3. Full Submission of Selected Material: In the third step, you
should send in the information indicated by EPA within 30 days of EPA's
reply. Prompt response to EPA will ensure that your material can be
considered in the assessment in a timely fashion. Submittals should
include a cover letter addressing all of the points in item 1 above. In
addition, when you submit results of new health effects studies
concerning existing substances on IRIS, you should include a specific
explanation of how and why the study results could change the
information in IRIS.
    Please send two copies, at least one of which should be unbound, to
the IRIS Submission Desk, as described in Step 1. The IRIS Submission
Desk will acknowledge receipt of your information.
    Confidential Business Information (CBI) should not be submitted to
the IRIS Submission Desk. CBI must be submitted to the appropriate EPA
office via established procedures for submission of CBI (see 40 CFR,
part 2, subpart B). If you believe that a CBI submission contains
information with implications for IRIS, please note that in the cover
letter accompanying the submission to the appropriate office.
    You may also request to augment your submission with a scientific
briefing to EPA staff. Such requests should be made directly to Amy
Mills, IRIS Program Manager (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT).

    Dated: May 4, 2000.
William H. Farland,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 00-12394 Filed 5-16-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P

 
 

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