Nitrite In Combination With Amines or Amides to be Considered by the Carcinogen Identification Committee

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is the lead agency for the implementation of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 19861 (Proposition 65). The Carcinogen Identification Committee (CIC) advises and assists OEHHA in compiling the list of chemicals known to the State to cause cancer as required by Health and Safety Code section 25249.8. The Committee serves as the State’s qualified experts for determining whether a chemical has been clearly shown through scientifically valid testing according to generally accepted principles to cause cancer.

On February 7, 2014, OEHHA published a public notice in the California Regulatory Notice Register announcing its intent to list “nitrite in combination with amines or amides” as known to the State to cause cancer under Proposition 65 via the authoritative bodies mechanism. After consideration of comments received on the notice and further evaluation of the scientific evidence supporting the listing, OEHHA determined that the regulatory criteria in section 25306(e), Title 27 of the California Code of Regulations have not been met for the spectrum of chemicals covered by the broad class “nitrite in combination with amines or amides”. Pursuant to section 25306(i), OEHHA will ask the CIC to consider at a future meeting whether nitrite in combination with amines or amides, or a subset of chemicals of this class, have been clearly shown through scientifically valid testing according to generally accepted principles to cause cancer.

The time, date, location, and agenda of the CIC meeting where nitrite in combination with amines or amides will be discussed will be provided in future notices published in the California Regulatory Notice Register and posted on OEHHA's website. The public will be given the opportunity to comment on the possible listing by the committee, and any material provided by OEHHA to the committee, during a 45-day public comment period prior to the CIC meeting at which this chemical combination will be considered.

Footnotes and References

1Health and Safety Code section 25249.5 et seq.