[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 10, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51664-51665]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-25265]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-34202D; FRL-6779-8]


Organophosphate Pesticides; Availability of Risk Management 
Decision Documents

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the risk management 
decision documents for two organophosphate pesticides, chlorpyrifos-
methyl and ethion. These decision documents have been developed as part 
of the public participation process that EPA and the United States 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) are now using for involving the public 
in the reassessment of pesticide tolerances under the Food Quality 
Protection Act (FQPA), and the reregistration of individual 
organophosphate pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, 
and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

DATES: The risk management decision documents are available in the OPP 
docket under docket control number OPP-34202D.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by mail, electronically, or in 
person. Please follow the detailed instructions for each method as 
provided in Unit I.C. of SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. To ensure proper 
receipt by EPA, it is imperative that you identify docket control 
number OPP-34202D for chlorpyrifos-methyl and ethion.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  For general information contact: 
Carol Stangel, Special Review and Reregistration Division (7508C), 
Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (703) 
308-8007; e-mail address: [email protected].
    For technical information contact: For questions on the REDs, IREDs 
or TREDs in this document, contact the appropriate chemical review 
manager listed in the table in Unit I. of the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general, nevertheless, a 
wide range of stakeholders will be interested in obtaining the risk 
management decision documents for chlorpyrifos-methyl and ethion, 
including environmental, human health, and agricultural advocates; the 
chemical industry; pesticide users; and members of the public 
interested in the use of pesticides on food. Since other entities 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 regarding the applicability of this action to a particular 
entity, consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.

B. How Can I Get Additional Information, Including Copies of this 
Document and 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 homepage at http://www.epa.gov/. 
On the homepage select ``Laws and Regulations,'' ``Regulations and 
Proposed Rules,'' and then look up the entry for this document under 
the ``Federal Register--Environmental Documents.'' You can also go 
directly to the Federal Register listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/. In addition, copies of the pesticide risk management 
decision documents released to the public may also be accessed at 
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/status.htm.
    2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for 
this action under docket control numbers OPP-34202D. The official 
record consists of the documents specifically referenced in this 
action, and other information related to this action, including any 
information claimed as Confidential Business Information (CBI). This 
official record includes the

[[Page 51665]]

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 Public 
Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Rm. 119, Crystal Mall 
#2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Arlington, VA, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The PIRIB telephone 
number is (703) 305-5805.
    For questions on the REDs, IREDs or TREDs in this document, contact 
the appropriate Chemical Review Manager listed the following table:

 
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                                                        Chemical Review
          Chemical Name                Case No.             Manager          Telephone No.      E-mail Address
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Chlorpyrifos-methyl TRED          (None)              Stephanie Nguyen    (703) 605-0702      [email protected]
Ethion RED                        0090                Jill Bloom          (703) 308-8019      [email protected]
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II. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    EPA has assessed the risks of chlorpyrifos-methyl and ethion, and 
reached a Report on FQPA Tolerance Reassessment Progress and Interim 
Risk Management Decision (TRED) and a Reregistration Eligibility 
Decision (RED) for these two organophosphate pesticides, respectively.
    1. Chlorpyrifos-methyl TRED. Initially registered in 1985, 
chlorpyrifos-methyl is not subject to reregistration but is being 
evaluated with other organophosphate pesticides under FQPA. An 
insecticide used on stored grain, chlorpyrifos-methyl has significant 
data gaps including developmental neurotoxicity studies required for 
all organophosphate pesticides under FQPA to evaluate their safety to 
children, and chemical-specific occupational exposure studies. 
Registrants of chlorpyrifos-methyl have requested voluntary 
cancellation of their products rather than develop the additional data 
requested by EPA to complete the toxicology data base. The 
chlorpyrifos-methyl TRED summarizes EPA's assessment of dietary and 
occupational risk from exposure to this pesticide, and identifies 
mitigation measures necessary to address these risks until all uses and 
registrations are phased out.
    2. Ethion RED. An organophosphate insecticide, ethion is used 
primarily to control insects on citrus, mainly oranges and grapefruit 
in Florida, and also to control flies and ticks on cattle. Ethion has 
no residential uses, and residues in food are not of concern; however, 
EPA has risk concerns for workers handling this pesticide, as well as 
ecological risk concerns. Registrants of ethion have requested 
voluntary cancellation of their products, rather than committing to 
develop the additional data requested by EPA to assess risks for 
reregistration. The ethion RED summarizes EPA's worker and ecological 
risk conclusions, and identifies mitigation measures necessary to 
address these risks until all uses and registrations are phased out.
    The risk management decisions for chlorpyrifos-methyl and ethion 
were made through the organophosphate pesticide pilot public 
participation process, which increases transparency and maximizes 
stakeholder involvement in EPA's development of risk assessments and 
risk management decisions. The pilot public participation process was 
developed as part of the EPA-USDA Tolerance Reassessment Advisory 
Committee (TRAC), which was established in April 1998, as a 
subcommittee under the auspices of EPA's National Advisory Council for 
Environmental Policy and Technology. A goal of the pilot public 
participation process is to find a more effective way for the public to 
participate at critical junctures in the Agency's development of 
organophosphate pesticide risk assessments and risk management 
decisions. EPA and USDA began implementing this pilot process in August 
1998, to increase transparency and opportunities for stakeholder 
consultation.
    EPA worked extensively with affected parties to reach the decisions 
presented in the risk management decision documents, which conclude the 
pilot public participation process for chlorpyrifos-methyl and ethion. 
As part of the pilot public participation process, numerous 
opportunities for public comment were offered as these risk management 
decision documents were being developed. The chlorpyrifos-methyl and 
ethion risk management decision documents therefore are issued in 
final, without a formal public comment period. The docket remains open, 
however, and any comments submitted in the future will be placed in the 
public docket.
    The risk assessments for chlorpyrifos-methyl and ethion, were 
released to the public through the following notices published in the 
Federal Register.
    1. Notices for chlorpyrifos-methyl were published on October 6, 
1999 (64 FR 54296) (FRL-6387-9), and April 28, 2000 (65 FR 24954) (FRL-
6557-2).
    2. Notices for ethion were published on August 12, 1998 (63 FR 
43175) (FRL-6024-3), and July 14, 1999 (64 FR 37967) (FRL-6091-9).
    EPA's next step under FQPA is to complete a cumulative risk 
assessment and risk management decision for the organophosphate 
pesticides, which share a common mechanism of toxicity. The risk 
management decision documents on chlorpyrifos-methyl and ethion, 
however, represent the Agency's final registration and reregistration 
eligibility decisions for these pesticides under the organophosphate 
pesticide review process.
    When the cumulative risk assessment for the organophosphate 
pesticides has been completed, EPA will issue its final tolerance 
reassessment decision for chlorpyrifos-methyl. Tolerance revocations 
for ethion will be finalized when the cancellations become effective.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Chemicals, Pesticides and pests.

    Dated: September 26, 2001.
Lois A. Rossi,
Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of 
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 01-25265 Filed 10-9-01; 8:45 a.m.]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S