[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 220 (Tuesday, November 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68133-68134]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-29061]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6900-4] 


Notice of Availability of Draft Reference Dose Document for 
Methylmercury

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

[[Page 68134]]


ACTION: Notice of availability of draft reference dose document for 
methylmercury.

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SUMMARY: Section 304(a)(1) of the Clean Water Act requires the 
Environmental Protection Agency to develop and publish, and from time 
to time revise, criteria for water to accurately reflect the latest 
scientific knowledge. EPA is revising its reference dose in support of 
a revised ambient water quality criterion for methylmercury. Today, EPA 
is notifying the public of the availability of the draft reference dose 
document and is also announcing that the draft document is ready for 
external scientific peer review.
    EPA is notifying the public about the availability of this draft 
document and its peer review in accordance with the Agency's new 
process for developing or revising criteria (63 FR 68354, December 10, 
1998). As indicated in the December 10, 1998 Federal Register document, 
the Agency believes it is important to provide the public with an 
opportunity to submit scientific information on draft criteria. EPA is 
soliciting views from the public on issues of science pertaining to the 
information used in deriving the draft reference dose.

DATES: All significant scientific information must be submitted to the 
Agency under docket number W-00-29. All submissions of significant 
scientific information are requested to be submitted on or before 
December 14, 2000. Information submitted after this date may not 
receive the degree of consideration of information submitted earlier. 
The Administrative Record supporting this draft reference dose document 
is available at the Water Docket, Room EB-57, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 401 M Street SW., Washington, DC 20460 on Monday through 
Friday, excluding Federal holidays, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. For 
access to docket materials call (202) 260-3027 for an appointment. A 
reasonable fee will be charged for photocopies.

ADDRESSES: Send an original and three copies of any written significant 
scientific information to W-00-15 Comment Clerk, Water Docket, Ariel 
Rios 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. Comments may be 
hand-delivered to the Water Docket, Room EB57, 401 M Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20460. Issues may also be submitted electronically to 
[email protected]. Information should be submitted as a WP5.1, 6.1 and/
or 8.0 or an ASCII file with no form of encryption.
    Copies of the draft reference dose document entitled, Reference 
Dose for Methylmercury, may be obtained from EPA's Water Resource 
Center by phone at (202) 260-7786, or by e-mail to [email protected] or by conventional mail to EPA Water Resource Center, 
RC-4100, 401 M Street SW., Washington, DC 20460. Alternatively, consult 
www.epa.gov/ost/criteria/methylmercury/ for download availability.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Mary Manibusan, Health and 
Ecological Criteria Division (4304), US EPA, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460; (202) 260-3688; 
[email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

What Is a Reference Dose?

    The reference dose is defined as an estimate, with uncertainty 
spanning perhaps one order of magnitude, of a daily exposure to the 
human population (including sensitive subgroups) that is likely to be 
without an appreciable level of risk of deleterious effects during a 
lifetime. The RfD is useful as a reference point from which to gauge 
the potential effects of the chemical at other doses. Usually, doses 
less than the RfD are not likely to be associated with adverse health 
risks and are, therefore, less likely to be of regulatory concern. As 
the frequency and/or magnitude of the exposures exceeding the RfD 
increase, the probability of adverse effects in a human population 
increases. However, it should not be categorically concluded that all 
doses below the RfD are ``acceptable'' or risk-free and that all doses 
in excess of the RfD are ``unacceptable'' or will result in adverse 
effects.

Why Is EPA Notifying the Public About the Draft Reference Dose 
Document and Peer Review?

    Today, in order to expand the public's involvement in the criteria 
development process, EPA is notifying the public about the availability 
of the draft reference dose document for methylmercury and its peer 
review.
    In following the Agency's new process, EPA notified the public of 
its intentions to revise the ambient water quality criteria in the 
Federal Register on October 12, 2000 (65 FR 60664). At that time EPA 
made available to the public a list of all references identified by a 
recent literature review and solicited any additional pertinent data or 
scientific views that would be useful in revising the ambient water 
quality criteria. EPA is revising the ambient water quality criteria 
for methylmercury based on new data and new analyses. The draft 
reference dose document to support the ambient water quality criterion 
is ready for external scientific peer review.
    As indicated in the December 10, 1998 Federal Register document, 
the Agency believes it is important to provide the public with an 
opportunity to submit scientific information on draft criteria. EPA is 
soliciting views from the public on issues of science pertaining to the 
information used in deriving the draft reference dose. EPA will review 
and consider significant scientific information submitted by the public 
that might not have otherwise been identified during development of 
this criterion.

Geoffrey H. Grubbs,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 00-29061 Filed 11-13-00; 8:45 am]
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