[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 18 (Wednesday, January 28, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4259-4261]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1769]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPP-00518; FRL-5761-7]
Test Guidelines; Notice of Availability
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: EPA has established a unified library for Test Guidelines
issued by the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances
(OPPTS), and is announcing the availability of final test guidelines
for Series 835--Fate, Transport and Transformation. These final
guidelines are for the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT)
and have been harmonized with test guidelines of the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The draft guidelines were
made available by notice in the Federal Register (61 FR 16486, April
15, 1996)(FRL-5363-1) and were peer reviewed at a Scientific Advisory
Panel (SAP) meeting on May 30, 1996. These final guidelines incorporate
changes recommended by the SAP and other changes resulting from public
comment. This notice also describes the unified library of OPPTS Test
Guidelines. The Agency issues Federal Register notices periodically as
new test guidelines are added to the OPPTS unified library.
ADDRESSES: The guidelines are available from the U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 on The Federal Bulletin Board. By
modem dial (202) 512-1387, telnet and ftp: fedbbs.access.gpo.gov (IP
162.140.64.19), or call (202) 512-0132 for disks or paper copies. The
guidelines are also available electronically in ASCII and PDF (portable
document format) from the EPA's World Wide Web site (http://
www.epa.gov/epahome/research.htm) under the heading ``Researchers and
Scientists/Test Methods and Guidelines/Harmonized Test Guidelines.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information: By mail:
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) information: Contact the TSCA
Hotline at: TATS/7408, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW.,
Washington, DC 20460. Telephone number: (202) 554-1404; fax: (202) 554-
5603, e-mail: TSCA[email protected].
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
information: Contact the Communications Services Branch (7506C), Field
and External Affairs Division, Office of Pesticide Programs,
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460.
Telephone number: (703) 305-5017; fax: (703) 305-5558.
For technical questions only on Series 835 OPPT test guidelines:
Robert Boethling, (202) 260-3912, or e-mail:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. EPA's Process for Developing a Unified Library of Test
Guidelines
EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS)
has been engaged in a multi-year project to harmonize and/or update
test guidelines among the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), the
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), and the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The goals of the
project include the formulation of
[[Page 4260]]
harmonized OPP and OPPT guidelines for those in common between the two
programs, the harmonization of OPPT and/or OPP guidelines with those of
the OECD, the updating of any guidelines unique to OPP or OPPT
programs, and the addition of several new guidelines.
Testing guidelines that are changed substantively in the
harmonization process or through other updating/amending activities, or
which are new (e.g., for a previously unaddressed testing endpoint)
will be made available for public comment by notice in the Federal
Register. Additionally, EPA submits substantively revised and new test
guidelines to peer review by expert scientific panels. Guidelines which
are reformatted but not changed in any substantive way are not made
available for public comment or submitted to peer review.
All final guidelines will be made available through the GPO
Electronic Bulletin Board and the Internet on the EPA World Wide Web
home page as a unified library of OPPTS Test Guidelines for use by
either EPA program office. Printed versions of the unified library of
OPPTS test guidelines will also be available to the public through the
GPO. For purposes of this Federal Register notice, ``publication'' of
the unified library of guidelines generally describes the availability
of these final guidelines through the GPO and Internet. Because
harmonization and updating is an ongoing task that will periodically
result in modified guidelines, some guidelines being made available via
GPO and Internet will be revised in the future. These efforts will
ensure that industry is provided with testing guidelines that are
current.
The test guidelines appearing in the unified library will be given
numerical designations that are different from the designations
provided at 40 CFR parts 158, 795, 796, 797, 798, and 799. OPPTS test
guidelines will be published in 10 disciplinary series as follows:
Series 810--Product Performance Test Guidelines
Series 830--Product Properties Test Guidelines
Series 835--Fate, Transport and Transformation Test Guidelines
Series 840--Spray Drift Test Guidelines
Series 850--Ecological Effects Test Guidelines
Series 860--Residue Chemistry Test Guidelines
Series 870--Health Effects Test Guidelines
Series 875--Occupational and Residential Exposure Test Guidelines
Series 880--Biochemicals Test Guidelines
Series 885--Microbial Pesticide Test Guidelines
The Agency issues Federal Register notices periodically announcing
any new test guidelines added to the OPPTS unified library. As each set
of guidelines is published, it will be accompanied by a Master List
which cross references the new OPPTS guideline numbers to the original
OPP and OPPT numbers.
II. Series 835 Changes
Significant changes to the Series 835 test guidelines include
addition of a new guideline, Biodegradability in Sea Water, in OPPTS
835.3160; recommendation of the alkali addition method in the Sealed
Vessel Carbon Dioxide Production Test in OPPTS 835.3120; clarification
of guideline scope with respect to redox conditions and recommendation
of field temperature incubation in the Sediment/Water Microcosm
Biodegradation Test in OPPTS 835.3180; discussion of the importance of
maintaining influent dissolved organic carbon (DOC) levels and addition
of language to permit periodic wastage of sludge in the Porous Pot Test
in OPPTS 835.3220; and discussion of evidence supporting the contention
that treated (deactivated) sludge retains the characteristics of viable
sludge in the Activated Sludge Sorption Isotherm Test in OPPTS
835.1110. In addition, test guideline OPPTS 835.3400, Anaerobic
Biodegradability of Organic Chemicals, is retained despite several
negative comments on the method. Major revisions to this protocol are
presently being considered in several fora (ASTM; ISO; OECD) and EPA
intends to revisit this topic when consensus is reached on certain
technical issues. Explicit test requirements for pesticide registration
are set out in 40 CFR part 158 which refers to specific guidelines by
guideline number. Studies initiated 45 days or more after final
publication should be performed in accordance with the revised
guidelines.
III. Public Record
A detailed description of the response to comments and the changes
to each guideline are available under docket control number OPP-00518
in the Public Docket and Freedom of Information Section, Office of
Pesticide Programs, Rm. 1132, Crystal Mall #2, 1921 Jefferson Davis
Highway, Arlington, VA; telephone 703-305-5805, or by mail: Public
Docket and Freedom of Information Section, Office of Pesticide
Programs, Field Operations Division (7506C), Environmental Protection
Agency, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20460.
IV. Notice of Availability of Final Test Guidelines
This notice announces the availability of final test guidelines for
OPPT in the 835 Series. The following is the list of guidelines being
made available at this time.
Series 835--Fate, Transport and Transformation Test Guidelines
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Existing Numbers EPA Pub.
--------------------------------- no.
OPPTS Number Name ----------
OTS OPP OECD 712-C-
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Group A--Laboratory Transport Test
835.1110 Activated sludge sorption isotherm none none none 98-298
835.1210 Soil thin layer chromatography 796.2700 none none 98-047
835.1220 Sediment and soil adsorption/ 796.2750 none 106 98-048
desorption isotherm
Group B--Laboratory Abiotic
Transformation Test Guidelines.
835.2110 Hydrolysis as a function of pH 796.3500 none 111 98-057
835.2130 Hydrolysis as a function of pH and 796.3510 none none 98-059
temperature
835.2210 Direct photolysis rate in water by 796.3700 none none 98-060
sunlight
835.2310 Maximum direct photolysis rate in 796.3800 none none 98-066
air from UV/visible spectroscopy
Group C--Laboratory Biological
Transformation Test Guidelines.
835.3100 Aerobic aquatic biodegradation 796.3100 none none 98-075
[[Page 4261]]
835.3110 Ready biodegradability 796.3180, none 301 98-076
.3200,
.3220,
.3240,
.3260
835.3120 Sealed-vessel carbon dioxide none none none 98-311
production test
835.3160 Biodegradability in sea water none none 306 98-351
835.3170 Shake flask die-away test none none none 98-297
835.3180 Sediment/water microcosm none none none 98-083
biodegradation test
835.3200 Zahn-Wellens/EMPA test 796.3360 none 302B 98-084
835.3210 Modified SCAS test 796.3340 none 302A 98-085
835.3220 Porous pot test none none none 98-301
835.3300 Soil biodegradation 796.3400 none 304A 98-088
835.3400 Anaerobic biodegradability of 796.3140 none none 98-090
organic chemicals
Group E--Transformation Chemical-
Specific Test Guidelines.
835.5045 Modified SCAS test for insoluble 795.45 none none 98-097
and volatile chemicals
835.5154 Anaerobic biodegradation in the 795.54 none none 98-098
subsurface
835.5270 Indirect photolysis screening 795.70 none none 98-099
test: Sunlight photolysis in
waters containing dissolved humic
substances
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List of Subjects
Environmental Protection, Test guidelines.
Dated: January 8, 1998.
Lynn R. Goldman,
Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic
Substances.
[FR Doc. 98-1769 Filed 1-27-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F