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National Action Plan for Octachlorostyrene; Notice of Availability and Solicitation of Public Comment

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

 [Federal Register: August 25, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 166)]
[Notices]
[Page 51825-51826]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25au00-57]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPTS-00671; FRL-6599-7]


National Action Plan for Octachlorostyrene; Notice of
Availability and Solicitation of Public Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability and solicitation of public comment.

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SUMMARY: EPA has developed a draft National Action Plan to promote
further voluntary reductions of release and exposure to
octachlorostyrene (OCS). This chemical is a persistent, bioaccululative
and toxic halogenated aromatic compound with no known commercial uses.
It is, however, an inadvertent by-product that persists in the
environment and bioaccumulates in animal tissue. This plan was
developed pursuant to the Agency's Multimedia Strategy for Priority
Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) Pollutants. This Notice
announces the availability of the draft Octachlorostyrene National
Action Plan for public review and comment.

DATES: Comments, identified by docket control number OPPTS-00671, must
be received on or before September 25, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by mail, electronically, or in
person. Please follow the detailed instructions for each method as
provided in Unit I. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. To ensure proper
receipt by EPA, it is imperative that you identify docket control
number OPPTS-00671 in the subject line on the first page of your
response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact:
Barbara Cunningham, Director, Office of Program Management and
Evaluation, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (7401),
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 554-1404; e-mail address:
TSCA-Hotline@epa.gov.
    For technical information contact: Paul Matthai, Pollution
Prevention Division (7409), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 260-3385; e-mail address:
matthai.paul@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general. This action may,
however, be of interest to persons who are involved in commercial or
industrial process that combine carbon and chlorine at high
temperatures. These processes could include magnesium production,
commercial production of chlorinated solvents, aluminum plasma etching
(used in producing microelectronic components), aluminum degassing with
hexachloroethane, chlorination of titanium and niobium/tantalum ores,
waste incineration, and chlor-alkali production with graphite anodes.
Since other entities may also 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 technical person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

B. How Can I Get Additional Information, Including Copies of this
Document or Other Related Documents?

    1. Electronically. You may obtain electronic copies of this
document, and certain other related documents that might be available
electronically, from the EPA Internet Home Page at http://www.epa.gov/pbt/.
To access this document, on the PBT Home Page select ``Strategy
and Action Plans.''
    2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for
this action under docket control number OPPTS-00671. The official
record consists of the documents specifically referenced in this
action, any public comments received during an applicable comment
period, and other information related to this action, including any
information claimed as confidential business information (CBI). This
official record includes the documents that are physically located in
the docket, as well as the documents that are referenced in those
documents. The public version of the official record does not include
any information claimed as CBI. The public version of the official
record, which includes printed, paper versions of any electronic
comments submitted during an applicable comment period, is available
for inspection in the TSCA Nonconfidential Information Center, North
East Mall Rm. B-607, Waterside Mall, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC. The Center is open from noon to 4 p.m., Monday through
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Center
is (202) 260-7099.

C. How and to Whom Do I Submit Comments?

    You may submit comments through the mail, in person, or
electronically. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative that
you identify docket control number OPPTS-00671 in the subject line on
the first page of your response.
    1. By mail. Submit your comments to: Document Control Office
(7407), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    2. In person or by courier. Deliver your comments to: OPPT Document
Control Office (DCO) in East Tower Rm. G-099, Waterside Mall, 401 M
St., SW., Washington, DC. The DCO is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the
DCO is (202) 260-7093.
    3. Electronically. You may submit your comments electronically by
e-mail to: ``oppt.ncic@epa.gov,'' or mail your computer disk to the
address identified in this unit. Do not submit any information
electronically that you consider to be CBI. Electronic comments must be
submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special characters and
any form of encryption. Comments and data will also be accepted on
standard disks in WordPerfect 6.1/8.0 or ASCII file format. All
comments in electronic form must be identified by

[[Page 51826]]

docket control number OPPTS-00671. Electronic comments may also be
filed online at many Federal Depository Libraries.

D. How Should I Handle CBI Information that I Want to Submit to the
Agency?

    Do not submit any information electronically that you consider to
be CBI. You may claim information that you submit to EPA in response to
this document as CBI by marking any part or all of that information as
CBI. Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance
with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2. In addition to one complete
version of the comment that includes any 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 version of the
official record. Information not marked confidential will be included
in the public version of the official record without prior notice. If
you have any questions about CBI or the procedures for claiming CBI,
please consult the technical person identified under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.

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

    We invite you to provide your views on the various options we
propose, new approaches we have not considered, the potential impacts
of the various options (including possible unintended consequences),
and any data or information that you would like the Agency to consider
during the development of the final action. You may find the following
suggestions helpful for preparing your comments:
    1. Explain your views as clearly as possible.
    2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
    3. Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you used
that support your views.
    4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
    5. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns.
    6. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline in this
notice.
    7. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, be sure to identify the docket
control number assigned to this action in the subject line on the first
page of your response. You may also provide the name, date, and Federal
Register citation.

II. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    On November 16, 1998, EPA released its Agency-wide Multimedia
Strategy for Priority Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT)
Pollutants (PBT Strategy). The goal of the PBT Strategy is to identify
and reduce risks to human health and the environment from current and
future exposure to priority PBT pollutants. This document serves as the
Draft National Action Plan for Octachlorostyrene, one of the 12 Level 1
priority PBT pollutants identified for the initial focus of action in
the PBT Strategy.
    Octachlorostyrene (CAS Registry number 29082-74-4) is a persistent,
bioaccumulative, and toxic halogenated aromatic compound with no known
commercial uses and is not commercially manufactured. It has been
reported as an inadvertent by-product of processes involving chlorine
production, chlorination reactions, nonferrous metal production/
finishing operations, and high temperature etching in semiconductor
production. Landfill leachates from industrial wastes generated by
these processes are contaminated with OCS. It may also result from
various incineration and combustion processes.
    The impact of OCS on the ecosystem is still largely unknown and
data on the presence of OCS in the environment are limited. It is
bioaccumulative and persistent in the environment. In the food chain,
it has been found at increasingly higher concentration levels in higher
order fish and shellfish. The feeding habits of aquatic species have
been shown to be an important influence on OCS levels in fish, with
significant biomagnification in higher order species. Potential human
exposure pathways for OCS are through ingestion (especially of
contaminated fish), inhalation, and absorption through the skin.
Occupational exposure has been shown to result in elevated levels of
OCS in the blood of workers at industrial facilities that produce OCS
as a by-product. The human toxicological properties of OCS are not well
known but it has been shown to cause adverse liver, thyroid, kidney and
hematological effects in experimental animals. OCS is also a suspected
hormone disruptor, mimicking human hormones and possibly affecting the
endocrine system of humans and animals.
    EPA is requesting public comment on this draft National Action Plan
to address the risks to human health and the environment from exposure
to octachlorostyrene: (1) By conducting monitoring through a National
Study of Chemical Residues in Fish survey, sediment sampling in
geographic areas with high concentrations, and by adding OCS to the
list of chemicals to establish an air monitoring network; (2) to
continue efforts toward source characterization and voluntary
initiatives to reduce OCS releases; and (3) focus research to
characterize the relationship between OCS and other chlorinated
compounds such as hexachlorobenzene and dioxins/furans.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection.

    Dated: August 8, 2000.
Susan H. Wayland,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and
Toxic Substances.
[FR Doc. 00-21783 Filed 8-24-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F

 
 

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