[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 170 (Wednesday, September 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 53157]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21544]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

[Docket No. ATSDR-2015-0004]


Availability of Draft Toxicological Profile; Perfluoroalkyls

AGENCY: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice of availability, and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) 
located in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces 
the availability of the Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls for 
review and comment. Comments can include additional information or 
reports on studies about the health effects of perfluoroalkyls. 
Although ATSDR considered key studies for this substance during the 
profile development process, this Federal Register notice solicits any 
relevant, additional studies, particularly unpublished data. ATSDR will 
evaluate the quality and relevance of such data or studies for possible 
inclusion into the profile. ATSDR remains committed to providing a 
public comment period for this document as a means to best serve public 
health and our clients.

DATES: To be considered, comments on the draft Toxicological Profile 
for Perfluoroalkyls must be received not later than December 1, 2015. 
Comments received after close of the public comment period will be 
considered solely at the discretion of ATSDR, based upon what is deemed 
to be in the best interest of the general public.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by the docket number 
ATSDR-2015-0004, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov/#!home. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, 
1600 Clifton Rd. NE., F57, Atlanta, GA 30329-4027.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Delores Grant, Division of 
Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and 
Disease Registry, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS F-57, Atlanta, GA 30329; 
telephone number (800) 232-4636 or (770) 488-3351.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization 
Act of 1986 (SARA) (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) amended the Comprehensive 
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA 
or Superfund) (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) by establishing certain 
requirements for ATSDR and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
(U.S. EPA) regarding hazardous substances that are most commonly found 
at facilities on the CERCLA National Priorities List (NPL). Among these 
statutory requirements is a mandate for the Administrator of ATSDR to 
prepare toxicological profiles for each substance included on the 
priority list of hazardous substances (also called the Substance 
Priority List). This list identifies 275 hazardous substances that 
ATSDR (in cooperation with EPA) has determined pose the most 
significant potential threat to human health. The availability of the 
revised list of the 275 priority substances was announced in the 
Federal Register on May 28, 2014 (79 FR 30613) and is available at 
www.atsdr.cdc.gov/spl.
    In addition, ATSDR has the authority to prepare toxicological 
profiles for substances not found at sites on the National Priorities 
List, in an effort to ``establish and maintain inventory of literature, 
research, and studies on the health effects of toxic substances'' under 
CERCLA Section 104(i)(1)(B), to respond to requests for consultation 
under section 104(i)(4), and as otherwise necessary to support the 
site-specific response actions conducted by ATSDR.
    On November 6, 2008, ATSDR announced the availability of a draft 
toxicological profile for Set 22 Toxicological Profiles for public 
comment (73 FR 66047). The Set 22 Toxicological Profiles included 
Perfluoroalkyls and ATSDR announced that the Perfluoroalkyls profile 
was on a modified schedule pending additional review.
    On July 23, 2009 ATSDR published a second notice of the 
availability of the toxicological profile for Perfluoroalkyls in draft 
form for public review and comment (74 FR 36492). The 90-day comment 
period ended October 30, 2009. Following the close of the comment 
period, chemical-specific comments were addressed, and, where 
appropriate, changes were incorporated into the profile. Given the 
plethora of new data that have been published since 2009, and the 
resulting extensive revision to the profile, the agency has determined 
that it would be in the best interest of public health to release the 
perfluoroalkyls profile for another public comment period. The public 
comments and other data submitted in response to the Federal Register 
notices are available for inspection from Monday through Friday, except 
for legal holidays, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Eastern Time, at 4770 
Buford Hwy NE., Atlanta, Georgia 30341. Please call ahead to 1-800-232-
4636 and ask for a representative in the Division of Toxicology and 
Human Health Sciences to schedule your visit.

Availability

    The Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls prepared by ATSDR 
will be made available to the public on or about August 31, 2015 at the 
ATSDR Web site: www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/index.asp and at the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov/#!home.

Sascha Chaney,
Director, Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation, National Center 
for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease 
Registry.
[FR Doc. 2015-21544 Filed 9-1-15; 8:45 am]
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