[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 2, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5819-5820]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-02050]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-ORD-2021-0561; FRL-9486-01-ORD]


Availability of the Draft IRIS Toxicological Review of 
Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) and Related Salts

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 60-
day public comment period associated with release of the draft 
Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Toxicological Review of 
Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) and Related Salts. The draft document 
was prepared by the Center for Public Health and Environmental 
Assessment (CPHEA) within EPA's Office of Research and Development 
(ORD). EPA is releasing this draft IRIS assessment for public comment 
in advance of an independent external peer review organized by ERG, a 
contractor to EPA. The external peer reviewers will be provided with 
all written comments submitted in response to this notice for their 
consideration as they conduct their review. To receive future 
notification about the peer review, sign up for EPA's IRIS listserv, as 
described in this notice. EPA will consider all comments received when 
revising the document post-peer review. This draft assessment is not 
final as described in EPA's information quality guidelines, and it does 
not represent, and should not be construed to represent Agency policy 
or views.

DATES: The 60-day public comment period begins February 2, 2022 and 
ends April 4, 2022. Comments must be received on or before April 4, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: The IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorohexanoic Acid 
(PFHxA) and Related Salts will be available via the internet on the 
IRIS website at https://www.epa.gov/iris/iris-recent-additions and in 
the public docket at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
ORD-2021-0561.

[[Page 5820]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public comment 
period, contact the ORD Docket at the EPA Headquarters Docket Center; 
telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-9744; or email: 
[email protected].
    For technical information on the IRIS Toxicological Review of 
Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) or information on the public comment 
period, contact Dr. Andrew Kraft, CPHEA; telephone: 202-564-0286; or 
email: [email protected]. The IRIS Program will provide updates 
through the IRIS website (https://www.epa.gov/iris) and via EPA's IRIS 
listserv. To register for the IRIS listserv, visit the IRIS website 
(https://www.epa.gov/iris) or visit https://www.epa.gov/iris/forms/staying-connected-integrated-risk-information-system#connect.
    For questions about the peer review, please contact: Laurie Waite, 
ERG, by email at [email protected] (subject line: EPA PFHxA peer 
review); or by phone: 781-674-7362.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

Information on IRIS PFAS Assessments

    Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large class of 
man-made chemicals widely used in consumer products and industrial 
processes. The basic structure of PFAS consists of a carbon chain 
surrounded by fluorine atoms, with different chemicals possessing 
different end groups. The five IRIS toxicity assessments are being 
developed according to the scope and methods outlined in the publicly 
posted systematic review protocol (https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris_drafts/recordisplay.cfm?deid=345065) and they build upon several 
other PFAS assessments that have already been developed, and represent 
only one component of the broader PFAS action plan underway at the U.S. 
EPA (https://www.epa.gov/pfas/epas-pfas-action-plan).
    EPA previously announced peer review activities related to five 
IRIS five per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) Integrated Risk 
Information System (IRIS) assessments including: Perfluorodecanoic acid 
(PFDA; CASRN 335-76-2), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA; CASRN 375-24-4), 
perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA, CASRN 307-24-4), perfluorohexanesulfonic 
acid (PFHxS, CASRN 355-46-4), and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA, CASRN 
375 22 4) and their related salts. These documents will undergo 
independent external scientific peer review managed by ERG, a 
contractor to EPA. EPA will provide updates on the status of the peer 
review for PFHxA via the IRIS website (https://www.epa.gov/iris) and 
IRIS listserv. EPA encourages all interested stakeholders to register 
for the IRIS listserv by visiting the IRIS website at https://www.epa.gov/iris/forms/staying-connected-integrated-risk-information-system#connect. Specific questions or comments on the peer review 
process should be directed to ERG.

II. How To Submit Technical Comments to the Docket at https://www.regulations.gov

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2021-
0561 for the Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) IRIS Assessment, by one of 
the following methods:
     www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 202-566-9744. Due to COVID-19, there may be a delay 
in processing comments submitted by fax.
     Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket 
Center (ORD Docket), Mail Code: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202-566-1752. Due to COVID-
19, there may be a delay in processing comments submitted by mail.
    For information on visiting the EPA Docket Center Public Reading 
Room, visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets. Due to public health concerns 
related to COVID-19, the EPA Docket Center and Reading Room may be 
closed to the public with limited exceptions. The telephone number for 
the Public Reading Room is 202-566-1744. The public can submit comments 
via www.regulations.gov or email.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to docket number EPA-HQ-ORD-
2021-0561 for the Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) IRIS Assessment.
    Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the specified 
comment period. Comments received after the closing date will be marked 
``late,'' and may only be considered if time permits. It is EPA's 
policy to include all comments it receives in the public docket without 
change and to make the comments available online at 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, 
unless a comment includes information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information for which disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Do not submit information through 
www.regulations.gov or email that you consider to be CBI or otherwise 
protected. The www.regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous access'' 
system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact 
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you 
send an email comment directly to EPA without going through 
www.regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically captured 
and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket 
and made available on the internet. If you submit an electronic 
comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact 
information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you 
submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties 
and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to 
consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special 
characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or 
viruses. For additional information about EPA's public docket visit the 
EPA Docket Center homepage at www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
    Docket: Documents in the docket are listed in the 
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other materials, 
such as copyrighted material, are publicly available only in hard copy. 
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically 
in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the ORD Docket in the EPA 
Headquarters Docket Center.

Timothy Watkins,
Acting Director, Center for Public Health & Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2022-02050 Filed 2-1-22; 8:45 am]
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