Peer Review for Evaluating Risk from High Priority Phthalates
EPA held a virtual public meeting on Aug. 4-8, 2025, for the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) to discuss the draft risk evaluations for dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) as well as the non-cancer human health and environmental hazard draft technical support documents (TSDs) for butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), and three cross-phthalate technical support documents that are currently undergoing risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA held a preparatory virtual public meeting on July 21, 2025, for the SACC and the public to consider and ask questions regarding the scope and clarity of the draft charge questions. EPA published a Federal Register notice announcing the dates on June 10, 2025.
Because the SACC is reviewing several TSDs that will support the risk evaluations for BBP and DIBP, EPA will consider the SACC recommendations from this upcoming peer review when developing the risk evaluations and unreasonable risk determinations for these two chemicals. Therefore, EPA does not expect the need for an additional peer review of the forthcoming risk evaluations for BBP and DIBP.
On Dec. 3, 2024, EPA published a Federal Register notice requesting nominations of prospective ad hoc expert reviewers to assist the SACC with its peer review. The nomination period ended on Jan. 2, 2025. After reviewing the nominations, EPA called for public comments on the interested and available candidates under consideration as prospective ad hoc reviewers. The comment period ended on May 15, 2025. EPA posted the biographies of selected ad hoc reviewers to docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2024-0551 on regulations.gov in June 2025.
For additional information, contact the Designated Federal Official, Dr. Alaa Kamel, kamel.alaa@epa.gov.
