[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 248 (Friday, December 28, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73813-73814]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-25282]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8511-8; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2007-1141]
Draft Toxicological Review of Acrylamide: In Support of Summary
Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of Public Comment Period.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The EPA is announcing a public comment period to review the
final draft document titled, ``Toxicological Review of Acrylamide: In
Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information
System (IRIS)'' (EPA/635/R-07/009), related to the human health
assessment for acrylamide. The document was prepared by the National
Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA's Office of
Research and Development.
EPA is releasing this draft document solely for the purpose of pre-
dissemination peer review under applicable information quality
guidelines. This document has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It
does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency
policy or determination. EPA will consider any public comments
submitted in accordance with this notice when revising the document.
DATES: The 60-day public comment period begins on December 28, 2007 and
ends February 26, 2008. Technical comments should be in writing and
must be received by EPA by February 26, 2008.
ADDRESSES: The draft ``Draft Toxicological Review of Acrylamide: In
Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information
System (IRIS)'' (EPA/635/R-07/009) is available primarily via the
Internet on NCEA's home page under the Recent Additions menu at
www.epa.gov/ncea. A limited number of paper copies are available by
contacting the IRIS Hotline at (202) 566-1676, (202) 566-1749
(facsimile), or [email protected]. If you are requesting a paper
copy, please provide your name, mailing address, the document title,
and the EPA number of the requested publication.
Technical comments may be submitted electronically via
www.regulations.gov, by mail, by facsimile, or by hand delivery/
courier. Please follow the detailed instructions provided in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public comment
period, contact the Office of Environmental Information Docket;
telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-1753; or e-mail:
[email protected].
For general information about the IRIS assessment process, terms,
and existing values go to NCEA's home page via the Internet and click
on ``IRIS'' in the Quick Finder section at www.epa.gov/ncea (or go to
http://www.epa.gov/iriswebp/iris/index.html ). For information on the
status and estimated completion dates of the Toxicological Review of
Acrylamide go to the IRIS home page and click on ``IRIS Track'' in the
left hand column (or go to: http://cfpub.epa.gov/iristrac/index.cfm).
If you have questions or need information regarding communications
and outreach, contact Linda Tuxen, National Center for Environmental
Assessment; telephone: 703-347-8609; facsimile: 703-347-8699; e-mail:
[email protected].
For technical and scientific questions concerning the draft
Toxicological Review of Acrylamide, contact the Chemical Manager,
Robert DeWoskin, National Center for Environmental Assessment;
telephone: 919-541-1089; facsimile: 919-541-0248; e-mail:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Information About the Document
Acrylamide is a monomer used primarily in the production of
polyacrylamide polymers. Polyacrylamides are used as a flocculent in
water purification, oil recovery, and soil stabilization; and in the
manufacturing of a wide range of products as a coating, matrix,
additive, or stabilizer. Human exposure to acrylamide occurs primarily
in the workplace from dermal contact and inhalation of dust and vapor
during processing or use. The public may be exposed to acrylamide
through emissions from production facilities, use in consumer products,
contaminated drinking water, and cigarette smoke. In early 2002,
Swedish scientists reported high concentrations of acrylamide in
certain fried, baked, and deep-fried foods. Subsequent research
demonstrated that acrylamide forms ``de novo'' (i.e., newly formed, not
present as an environmental contaminant) during high temperature
cooking of carbohydrate-rich foods that contain asparagine and in a few
other food processes. Considerable research is on-going to assess the
level of and the potential risk from exposure to
[[Page 73814]]
acrylamide in food (additional information is available on the U.S.
FDA's Internet site for acrylamide: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/lrd/pestadd.html#acrylamide).
This public review draft of ``Toxicological Review of Acrylamide''
is an update and reassessment of the human health effects that may
result from exposure to acrylamide. The acrylamide oral and inhalation
reference values and carcinogenicity classification have been revised
based upon new data and changes in guidance that have occurred since
the previous assessment in 1988.
IRIS is a database of human health effects that may result from
exposure to various chemical substances found in the environment. The
database (available on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/iris)
contains qualitative and quantitative health effects information for
more than 540 chemical substances that may be used to support the first
two steps (hazard identification and dose response evaluation) of the
risk assessment process. When supported by available data, the database
provides oral reference doses (RfDs) and inhalation reference
concentrations (RfCs) for health effects, and oral slope factors and
inhalation unit risks for carcinogenic effects. Combined with specific
exposure information, government and private entities use IRIS to help
characterize public health risks of chemical substances in a site-
specific situation and thereby support risk management decisions
designed to protect public health.
II. How to Submit Technical Comments to the Docket at
www.regulations.gov
Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2007-
1141 by one of the following methods:
www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected].
Fax: 202-566-1753.
Mail: Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket
(Mail Code: 2822T).
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202-566-1752.
Hand Delivery: The OEI Docket is located in the EPA
Headquarters Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public
Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public
Reading Room is 202-566-1744. Such deliveries are only accepted during
the docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should
be made for deliveries of boxed information.
If you provide comments in writing, please submit one unbound
original with pages numbered consecutively, and three copies of the
comments. For attachments, provide an index, number pages consecutively
with the comments, and submit an unbound original and three copies.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2007-1141. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at
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 www.regulations.gov or e-mail.
The www.regulations.gov Web site 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 www.regulations.gov,
your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part
of the comment that is placed in the public 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. For additional
information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center
homepage at www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the
www.regulations.gov 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, will be publicly available only in hard copy.
Publicly available docket materials can be accessed either
electronically in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy from the OEI
Docket in the EPA Headquarters Docket Center.
Dated: December 18, 2007.
Rebecca M. Clark,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. E7-25282 Filed 12-27-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P