81 FR 3128 - Tetrachlorvinphos Registration Review; Draft Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment; Notice of Availability

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 12 (January 20, 2016)

This notice announces the availability of EPA's draft human health and ecological risk assessment for the registration review of tetrachlorvinphos and opens a public comment period on this document. Registration review is EPA's periodic review of pesticide registrations to ensure that each pesticide continues to satisfy the statutory standard for registration, that is, the pesticide can perform its intended function without unreasonable adverse effects on human health or the environment. As part of the registration review process, the Agency has completed a comprehensive draft human health and ecological risk assessment for all tetrachlorvinphos uses. After reviewing comments received during the public comment period, EPA will issue a revised risk assessment, explain any changes to the draft risk assessment, and respond to comments and may request public input on risk mitigation before completing a proposed registration review decision for tetrachlorvinphos. Through this program, EPA is ensuring that each pesticide's registration is based on current scientific and other knowledge, including its effects on human health and the environment.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 20, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3128-3130]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-00849]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0316; FRL-9940-81]


Tetrachlorvinphos Registration Review; Draft Human Health and 
Ecological Risk Assessment; Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of EPA's draft human 
health and ecological risk assessment for the registration review of 
tetrachlorvinphos and opens a public comment period on this document. 
Registration review is EPA's periodic review of pesticide registrations 
to ensure that each pesticide continues to satisfy the statutory 
standard for registration, that is, the pesticide can perform its 
intended function without unreasonable adverse effects on human health 
or the environment. As part of the registration review process, the 
Agency has completed a comprehensive draft human health and ecological 
risk assessment for all tetrachlorvinphos uses. After reviewing 
comments received during the public comment period, EPA will issue a 
revised risk assessment, explain any changes to the draft risk 
assessment, and respond to comments and may request public input on 
risk mitigation before completing a proposed registration review 
decision for tetrachlorvinphos. Through this program, EPA is ensuring 
that each pesticide's registration is based on current scientific and 
other knowledge, including its effects on human health and the 
environment.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 21, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0316, by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit 
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted 
by statute.
     Mail: OPP Docket, Environmental Protection Agency Docket 
Center (EPA/DC), (28221T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 
20460-0001.
     Hand Delivery: To make special arrangements for hand 
delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the 
instructions at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.html.
    Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along 
with more information about dockets generally, is available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For pesticide specific information 
contact: James Parker, Chemical Review Manager, Pesticide Re-Evaluation 
Division (7508P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (703) 306-0469; email address: 
[email protected].
    For general questions on the registration review program, contact: 
Richard Dumas, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division (7508P), Office of 
Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-8005; 
email address: [email protected].

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, farm worker, 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

[[Page 3129]]

regarding the applicability of this action to a particular entity, 
consult James Parker 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 
regulations.gov or email. 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 preparing and submitting 
your comments, see the commenting tips at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/comments.html.
    3. Environmental justice. EPA seeks to achieve environmental 
justice, the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of any group, 
including minority and/or low income populations, 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 or disproportionately high and adverse human 
health impacts or environmental effects from exposure to the pesticide 
discussed in this document, compared to the general population.

II. Authority

    EPA is conducting its registration review of tetrachlorvinphos 
pursuant to section 3(g) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Procedural Regulations for Registration 
Review at 40 CFR part 155, subpart C. Section 3(g) of FIFRA provides, 
among other things, that the registrations of pesticides are to be 
reviewed every 15 years. Under FIFRA, a pesticide product may be 
registered or remain registered only if it meets the statutory standard 
for registration given in FIFRA section 3(c)(5) (7 U.S.C. 136a(c)(5)). 
When used in accordance with widespread and commonly recognized 
practice, the pesticide product must perform its intended function 
without unreasonable adverse effects on the environment; that is, 
without any unreasonable risk to man or the environment, or a human 
dietary risk from residues that result from the use of a pesticide in 
or on food.

III. Registration Reviews

    As directed by FIFRA section 3(g), EPA is reviewing the pesticide 
registration for tetrachlorvinphos to ensure that it continues to 
satisfy the FIFRA standard for registration--that is, that 
tetrachlorvinphos can still be used without unreasonable adverse 
effects on human health or the environment. Tetrachlorvinphos is an 
organophosphate (OP) insecticide used to control nuisance pests (e.g. 
fleas and ticks) on domestic cats and dogs, in addition to livestock, 
their premises, kennels, poultry houses, barns, and outdoor perimeter 
treatments. EPA has completed a comprehensive draft human health and 
ecological risk assessment, including an endangered species assessment, 
for all tetrachlorvinphos uses.
    Pursuant to 40 CFR 155.53(c), EPA is providing an opportunity, 
through this notice of availability, for interested parties to provide 
comments and input concerning the Agency's draft human health and 
ecological risk assessment for tetrachlorvinphos. Such comments and 
input could address, among other things, the Agency's risk assessment 
methodologies and assumptions, as applied to this draft risk 
assessment. The Agency will consider all comments received during the 
public comment period and make changes, as appropriate, to the draft 
human health and ecological risk assessment. EPA will then issue a 
revised risk assessment, explain any changes to the draft risk 
assessment, and respond to comments. In the Federal Register notice 
announcing the availability of the revised risk assessment, if the 
revised risk assessment indicates risks of concern, the Agency may 
provide a comment period for the public to submit suggestions for 
mitigating the risk identified in the revised risk assessment before 
developing a proposed registration review decision on 
tetrachlorvinphos.
    The Agency issued a Final Work Plan (FWP) for tetrachlorvinphos in 
December 2008, and data were called in. The reviews of those data are 
incorporated into the draft risk assessments. The draft ecological risk 
assessment identifies potential risks of concern for mammals, birds/
reptiles/terrestrial-phase amphibians, and freshwater invertebrates. 
The draft human health risk assessment identifies potential non-cancer 
risks for residential and occupational handlers and for certain post-
application exposure scenarios. In addition, there is a potential 
cancer risk for residential post-application exposure scenarios and for 
occupational handlers. Tetrachlorvinphos was also previously evaluated 
for its potential to affect endocrine systems in mammals and wildlife 
and the results of the agency's review are found in the Weight of 
Evidence review in this registration review docket.
    1. Other related information. Additional information on 
tetrachlorvinphos is available on the Pesticide Registration Review 
Status Web page for this pesticide, http://iaspub.epa.gov/apex/pesticides/f?p=CHEMICALSEARCH:1. Information on the Agency's 
registration review program and its implementing regulation is 
available at http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/registration_review.
    2. Information submission requirements. Anyone may submit data or 
information in response to this document. To be considered during a 
pesticide's registration review, the submitted data or information must 
meet the following requirements:
     To ensure that EPA will consider data or information 
submitted, interested persons must submit the data or information 
during the comment period. The Agency may, at its discretion, consider 
data or information submitted at a later date.
     The data or information submitted must be presented in a 
legible and useable form. For example, an English translation must 
accompany any material that is not in English and a written transcript 
must accompany any information submitted as an audiographic or 
videographic record. Written material may be submitted in paper or 
electronic form.
     Submitters must clearly identify the source of any 
submitted data or information.
     Submitters may request the Agency to reconsider data or 
information that the Agency rejected in a previous review. However, 
submitters must explain why they believe the Agency should reconsider 
the data or information in the pesticide's registration review.
    As provided in 40 CFR 155.58, the registration review docket for 
each pesticide case will remain publicly accessible through the 
duration of the registration review process; that is, until all actions 
required in the final decision

[[Page 3130]]

on the registration review case have been completed.

    Authority:  7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.

    Dated: January 8, 2016.
Michael Goodis,
Acting Director, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide 
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2016-00849 Filed 1-19-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P