[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 166 (Friday, August 25, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51825-51826]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-21783]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPPTS-00671; FRL-6599-7]


National Action Plan for Octachlorostyrene; Notice of 
Availability and Solicitation of Public Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability and solicitation of public comment.

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SUMMARY: EPA has developed a draft National Action Plan to promote 
further voluntary reductions of release and exposure to 
octachlorostyrene (OCS). This chemical is a persistent, bioaccululative 
and toxic halogenated aromatic compound with no known commercial uses. 
It is, however, an inadvertent by-product that persists in the 
environment and bioaccumulates in animal tissue. This plan was 
developed pursuant to the Agency's Multimedia Strategy for Priority 
Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) Pollutants. This Notice 
announces the availability of the draft Octachlorostyrene National 
Action Plan for public review and comment.

DATES: Comments, identified by docket control number OPPTS-00671, must 
be received on or before September 25, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by mail, electronically, or in 
person. Please follow the detailed instructions for each method as 
provided in Unit I. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. To ensure proper 
receipt by EPA, it is imperative that you identify docket control 
number OPPTS-00671 in the subject line on the first page of your 
response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information contact: 
Barbara Cunningham, Director, Office of Program Management and 
Evaluation, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (7401), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 554-1404; e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    For technical information contact: Paul Matthai, Pollution 
Prevention Division (7409), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 260-3385; e-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general. This action may, 
however, be of interest to persons who are involved in commercial or 
industrial process that combine carbon and chlorine at high 
temperatures. These processes could include magnesium production, 
commercial production of chlorinated solvents, aluminum plasma etching 
(used in producing microelectronic components), aluminum degassing with 
hexachloroethane, chlorination of titanium and niobium/tantalum ores, 
waste incineration, and chlor-alkali production with graphite anodes. 
Since other entities may also 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 regarding the applicability of 
this action to a particular entity, consult the technical person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

B. How Can I Get Additional Information, Including Copies of this 
Document or Other Related Documents?

    1. Electronically. You may obtain electronic copies of this 
document, and certain other related documents that might be available 
electronically, from the EPA Internet Home Page at http://www.epa.gov/pbt. To access this document, on the PBT Home Page select ``Strategy 
and Action Plans.''
    2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for 
this action under docket control number OPPTS-00671. The official 
record consists of the documents specifically referenced in this 
action, any public comments received during an applicable comment 
period, and other information related to this action, including any 
information claimed as confidential business information (CBI). This 
official record includes the documents that are physically located in 
the docket, as well as the documents that are referenced in those 
documents. The public version of the official record does not include 
any information claimed as CBI. The public version of the official 
record, which includes printed, paper versions of any electronic 
comments submitted during an applicable comment period, is available 
for inspection in the TSCA Nonconfidential Information Center, North 
East Mall Rm. B-607, Waterside Mall, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC. The Center is open from noon to 4 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Center 
is (202) 260-7099.

C. How and to Whom Do I Submit Comments?

    You may submit comments through the mail, in person, or 
electronically. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative that 
you identify docket control number OPPTS-00671 in the subject line on 
the first page of your response.
    1. By mail. Submit your comments to: Document Control Office 
(7407), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    2. In person or by courier. Deliver your comments to: OPPT Document 
Control Office (DCO) in East Tower Rm. G-099, Waterside Mall, 401 M 
St., SW., Washington, DC. The DCO is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the 
DCO is (202) 260-7093.
    3. Electronically. You may submit your comments electronically by 
e-mail to: ``[email protected],'' or mail your computer disk to the 
address identified in this unit. Do not submit any information 
electronically that you consider to be CBI. Electronic comments must be 
submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special characters and 
any form of encryption. Comments and data will also be accepted on 
standard disks in WordPerfect 6.1/8.0 or ASCII file format. All 
comments in electronic form must be identified by

[[Page 51826]]

docket control number OPPTS-00671. Electronic comments may also be 
filed online at many Federal Depository Libraries.

D. How Should I Handle CBI Information that I Want to Submit to the 
Agency?

    Do not submit any information electronically that you consider to 
be CBI. You may claim information that you submit to EPA in response to 
this document as CBI by marking any part or all of that information as 
CBI. Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance 
with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2. In addition to one complete 
version of the comment that includes any 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 version of the 
official record. Information not marked confidential will be included 
in the public version of the official record without prior notice. If 
you have any questions about CBI or the procedures for claiming CBI, 
please consult the technical person identified under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

E. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    We invite you to provide your views on the various options we 
propose, new approaches we have not considered, the potential impacts 
of the various options (including possible unintended consequences), 
and any data or information that you would like the Agency to consider 
during the development of the final action. You may find the following 
suggestions helpful for preparing your comments:
    1. Explain your views as clearly as possible.
    2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
    3. Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you used 
that support your views.
    4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you 
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
    5. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns.
    6. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline in this 
notice.
    7. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, be sure to identify the docket 
control number assigned to this action in the subject line on the first 
page of your response. You may also provide the name, date, and Federal 
Register citation.

II. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    On November 16, 1998, EPA released its Agency-wide Multimedia 
Strategy for Priority Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT) 
Pollutants (PBT Strategy). The goal of the PBT Strategy is to identify 
and reduce risks to human health and the environment from current and 
future exposure to priority PBT pollutants. This document serves as the 
Draft National Action Plan for Octachlorostyrene, one of the 12 Level 1 
priority PBT pollutants identified for the initial focus of action in 
the PBT Strategy.
    Octachlorostyrene (CAS Registry number 29082-74-4) is a persistent, 
bioaccumulative, and toxic halogenated aromatic compound with no known 
commercial uses and is not commercially manufactured. It has been 
reported as an inadvertent by-product of processes involving chlorine 
production, chlorination reactions, nonferrous metal production/
finishing operations, and high temperature etching in semiconductor 
production. Landfill leachates from industrial wastes generated by 
these processes are contaminated with OCS. It may also result from 
various incineration and combustion processes.
    The impact of OCS on the ecosystem is still largely unknown and 
data on the presence of OCS in the environment are limited. It is 
bioaccumulative and persistent in the environment. In the food chain, 
it has been found at increasingly higher concentration levels in higher 
order fish and shellfish. The feeding habits of aquatic species have 
been shown to be an important influence on OCS levels in fish, with 
significant biomagnification in higher order species. Potential human 
exposure pathways for OCS are through ingestion (especially of 
contaminated fish), inhalation, and absorption through the skin. 
Occupational exposure has been shown to result in elevated levels of 
OCS in the blood of workers at industrial facilities that produce OCS 
as a by-product. The human toxicological properties of OCS are not well 
known but it has been shown to cause adverse liver, thyroid, kidney and 
hematological effects in experimental animals. OCS is also a suspected 
hormone disruptor, mimicking human hormones and possibly affecting the 
endocrine system of humans and animals.
    EPA is requesting public comment on this draft National Action Plan 
to address the risks to human health and the environment from exposure 
to octachlorostyrene: (1) By conducting monitoring through a National 
Study of Chemical Residues in Fish survey, sediment sampling in 
geographic areas with high concentrations, and by adding OCS to the 
list of chemicals to establish an air monitoring network; (2) to 
continue efforts toward source characterization and voluntary 
initiatives to reduce OCS releases; and (3) focus research to 
characterize the relationship between OCS and other chlorinated 
compounds such as hexachlorobenzene and dioxins/furans.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection.

    Dated: August 8, 2000.
Susan H. Wayland,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and 
Toxic Substances.
[FR Doc. 00-21783 Filed 8-24-00; 8:45 am]
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