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Alkylbenzene Sulfonates Risk Assessment and Preliminary Risk Reduction Options; Notice of Availability
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: April 19, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 75)]
[Notices]
[Page 20090-20092]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19ap06-75]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0156; FRL-8064-5]
Alkylbenzene Sulfonates Risk Assessment and Preliminary Risk
Reduction Options; Notice of Availability
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of EPA's risk
assessment, preliminary risk reduction options, and related documents
for the pesticide alkylbenzene sulfonates which
[[Page 20091]]
encompasses sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate; dodecylbenzene sulfonic
acid; and benzenesulfonic acid, C10-C16 alkyl derivatives, and opens a
public comment period on these documents. The public also is encouraged
to suggest risk management ideas or proposals to address the risks
identified. EPA is developing a Reregistration Eligibility Decision
(RED) for alkylbenzene sulfonates through a modified, 4-Phase public
participation process that the Agency uses to involve the public in
developing pesticide reregistration and tolerance reassessment
decisions. This is Phase 3 of the 4-Phase Process. Through these
programs, EPA is ensuring that all pesticides meet current health and
safety standards.
DATES Comments must be received on or before June 19, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0156, by one of the following methods:
? Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
? Mail: Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public
Docket (7502C), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
? Hand Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public Docket, Environmental
Protection Agency, Rm. 119, Crystal Mall #2, 1801 S. Bell St.,
Arlington, VA. Deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal
hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays). Special arrangements should be made for
deliveries of boxed information. The Docket telephone number is (703)
305-5805.
? Important Note: OPP will be moving to a new location the
first week of May 2006. As a result, from Friday, April 28 to Friday,
May 5, 2006, the OPP Regulatory Public Docket will NOT be accepting any
deliveries at the Crystal Mall #2 address and this facility
will be closed to the public. Beginning on May 8, 2006, the OPP
Regulatory Public Docket will reopen at 8:30 a.m. and deliveries will
be accepted in Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South Building), 2777 S.
Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202. The mail code for the mailing
address will change to (7502P), but will otherwise remain the same. The
OPP Regulatory Public Docket telephone number and hours of operation
will remain the same after the move.
Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2006-0156. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the docket without change and may be made available on-line at
http://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 Federal 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 automatically captured and
included as part of the comment that is placed in the 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.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket 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, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available
only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are
available in the electronic docket at http://www.regulations.gov,
or, if only available in hard copy, at the OPP Regulatory Public Docket at
the location identified under ``Delivery'' and ``Important Note.'' The
hours of operation for this docket facility are from 8:30 a.m. to 4
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The docket
telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Garvie, Antimicrobials
Division, (7510C), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (703) 308-0034; fax number: (703) 308-8481; e-
mail address: garvie.heather@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. 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 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
http://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.
[[Page 20092]]
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 releasing for public comment its human health and
environmental fate and effects risk assessment, preliminary risk
reduction options, and related documents for alkylbenzene sulfonates
(encompassing sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate; dodecylbenzene sulfonic
acid; and benzenesulfonic acid, C10-C16 alkyl derivatives), and
encouraging the public to suggest risk management ideas or proposals.
The alkylbenzene sulfonates are both active and inert ingredients in
pesticide products. As active ingredients, they are currently found in
end-use products as a disinfectant, food-contact sanitizer,
bacteriocide/bacteriostat, microbiocide/microbiostat, fungicide/
fungistat, and virucide. As inert ingredients, they are found in end-
use products, many of which are used in residential settings, and
outdoors in agricultural settings. EPA developed the risk assessment
and preliminary risk reduction options for alkylbenzene sulfonates
through a modified version of its public process for making pesticide
reregistration eligibility and tolerance reassessment decisions.
Through these programs, EPA is ensuring that pesticides meet current
standards under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
(FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), as
amended by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA).
The alkylbenzene sulfonates are both active and inert ingredients
in pesticide products. As active ingredients, they are currently in 23
registered end-use products as a disinfectant, food-contact sanitizer,
bacteriocide/bacteriostat, microbiocide/microbiostat, fungicide/
fungistat, and virucide. Alkylbenzene sulfonates are in cleaners and
sanitizers that are designated for use in agricultural, food handling
and commercial/institutional/industrial settings. Examples of
registered uses for alkylbenzene sulfonates include, but are not
limited to: Application to indoor hard surfaces e.g., urinals, shower
stalls, toilet bowls, etc., food dispensing equipment (e.g., pre-mix
and post-mix vending machines), food contact surfaces (glasses, dishes,
silverware, countertops, etc.), agricultural tools, and fruits and
vegetables (post-harvest). As active ingredients, there are no
residential or outdoor uses currently registered. As inert ingredients,
there are approximately 350 registered end-use products containing
these chemicals. Many of these products are used in residential
settings, and outdoors in agricultural settings. The Agency's risk
assessment identified dietary, residential and occupational risks of
concern for some exposure scenarios. Because limited information is
available for some exposure scenarios conservative assumptions were
sometimes used in the risk assessment. The Agency is interested in
receiving any information that could assist in refining the risk
assessment.
EPA is providing an opportunity, through this notice, for
interested parties to provide comments and input on the Agency's risk
assessment for alkylbenzene sulfonates. Such comments and input could
address, for example, the availability of additional data to further
refine the risk assessments, such as ecological data to fill data gaps
for aquatic toxicity studies for freshwater fish and invertebrates, or
could address the Agency's risk assessment methodologies and
assumptions as applied to this specific pesticide. Through this notice,
EPA is also releasing for public comment its preliminary risk reduction
options for alkylbenzene sulfonates, and is providing an opportunity
for interested parties to provide risk management proposals or
otherwise comment on risk management.
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 alkylbenzene sulfonates,
compared to the general population.
EPA is applying the principles of public participation to all
pesticides undergoing reregistration and tolerance reassessment. The
Agency's Pesticide Tolerance Reassessment and Reregistration; Public
Participation Process, published in the Federal Register on May 14,
2004, (69 FR 26819) (FRL-7357-9) explains that in conducting these
programs, the Agency is tailoring its public participation process to
be commensurate with the level of risk, extent of use, complexity of
the issues, and degree of public concern associated with each
pesticide. For alkylbenzene sulfonates, a modified, 4-Phase process
with one comment period and ample opportunity for public consultation
seems appropriate in view of its refined risk assessment, few complex
issues, and/or other factors. However, if as a result of comments
received during this comment period EPA finds that additional issues
warranting further discussion are raised, the Agency may lengthen the
process and include a second comment period, as needed.
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 alkylbenzene sulfonates.
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, Alkylbenzene sulfonates Pesticides and pests.
Dated: April 4, 2006.
Frank Sanders,
Director, Antimicrobials Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E6-5879 Filed 4-18-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S