Peer Review for Evaluating Risk from High Priority Phthalates
Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) are undergoing risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA is planning a virtual public meeting for the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) to review the data, methods, models, approaches for the draft chemical risk evaluations for DBP, DEHP, and DCHP, as well as the supporting documents for human health benchmark dose analysis, cancer analysis, and cumulative risk assessment analysis, in August 2025.
On December 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 January 2, 2025. After reviewing the nominations, EPA called for public comments on the interested and available candidates under consideration as prospective ad hoc reviewers. Biographies of these prospective reviewers are available via docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2024-0551 on regulations.gov and through the link below. Comments must be submitted via the docket by May 15, 2025. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to be confidential business information or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. When preparing and submitting your comments, see Commenting on EPA Dockets.
EPA anticipates requesting SACC peer review of the questions pertaining to critical inputs and novel approaches contained in these documents to constitute full peer review of the phthalate risk evaluations. The SACC peer review will be focused on the technical support documents that describe the data and analyses of physical chemistry and fate, hazards, exposures, and releases for DBP, DEHP, and DCHP.
EPA is also working on risk evaluations for two other phthalates, benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP). The agency plans to use the SACC's recommendations from the review of DBP, DEHP, and DCHP to inform the risk evaluations of BBP and DIBP because the science approaches used in these two risk evaluations are consistent with the approaches used in DBP, DEHP, and DCHP. Therefore, EPA does not expect the need for an additional peer review.
For additional information, contact the Designated Federal Official, Dr. Alaa Kamel, kamel.alaa@epa.gov