Carcinogen Identification Committee Meeting Scheduled for October 12 and 13, 2011

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.

Fluoride and its salts, and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate will be considered for possible listing by the CIC at its next meeting scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, October 12 and 13, 2011.  The two-day meeting will be held in the Sierra Hearing Room at the Cal/EPA Headquarters building, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, California.  The meetings will begin each day at 10:00 a.m. and will last until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday and until all business is conducted or until 5:00 p.m on Thursday.  The agenda for the two-day meeting will be provided in a future public notice published in advance of the meeting.

OEHHA announces the availability for public review of the documents entitled:  “Evidence on the Carcinogenicity of Fluoride and Its Salts” and “Evidence on the Carcinogenicity of Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate.”  The CIC will consider these documents in making any listing decisions on these chemicals.  In preparing these hazard identification materials, OEHHA considered information received from its requests for information relevant to the evidence of carcinogenicity of fluoride and its salts and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate.  The data call-in period for fluoride and its salts opened on October 15, 2009 and closed on December 15, 2009.  The data call-in period for tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate opened on February 11, 2011 and closed on April 12, 2011.

Copies of the documents are available from OEHHA’s web site.  The documents may also be requested from OEHHA’s Proposition 65 Implementation Office by calling (916) 445-6900. 

This notice marks the beginning of a 60-day public comment period on these two documents.  OEHHA must receive comments and any supporting documentation by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 6, 2011.  We encourage you to submit comments in electronic form, rather than in paper form.  Comments transmitted by e-mail should be addressed to sam.delson@oehha.ca.gov.  Comments submitted in paper form may be mailed, faxed, or delivered in person to the addresses below:

Mailing Address: Sam Delson
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
P.O. Box 4010, MS-19B
Sacramento, California 95812-4010

Fax: (916) 323-8803

Street Address: 1001 I Street
Sacramento, California 95814

OEHHA will organize and index the comments received and forward the information to the CIC members prior to the meeting at which the chemicals will be considered.

Meeting Synopsis and Slide Presentations Carcinogen Identification Committee Meeting Held on October 12, 2011

A meeting of the Proposition 65¹ Carcinogen Identification Committee (CIC) was held on October 12, 2011, at the California Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters Building in Sacramento, California.  The Committee considered the listing of Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate and fluoride and its salts as known to the state cause cancer.  The Committee also provided OEHHA with its advice concerning the relative priority of 39 chemicals for possible hazard identification material preparation.  In addition, the Committee discussed procedures for public comment presentations, committee discussions and committee voting.  Following is a summary of that meeting. 

SUMMARY OF THE LISTING DECISION FOR TRIS(1,3-DICHLORO-2-PROPYL) PHOSPHATE (TDCPP) AND FLUORIDE AND ITS SALTS

Following a staff presentation, comments from the public and committee discussion, the CIC determined on a 5-1 vote that TDCPP has been clearly shown to cause cancer.  The CIC determined on a 6-0 vote that fluoride and its salts has not been clearly shown to cause cancer.

Follow these links to the slide presentations made at the meeting by staff of the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) and members of the public:

• TDCPP staff presentation and supplemental slides, John Faust, Ph.D. and Laura August, M.P.H., OEHHA
• TDCPP public presentations, Nancy O’Malley, D.V.M., Ph.D. Albemarle Corporation and Andy Wang, Ph.D., ICL-IP America Inc.
• Fluoride and its salts staff presentation, David Morry, Ph.D. and Craig Steinmaus, M.D., M.P.H., OEHHA
• Fluoride and its salts public presentation, Howard Pollick, B.D.S., M.P.H, California Dental Association Foundation

SUMMARY OF CHEMICAL PRIORITIZATION DISCUSSION
The CIC recommended that 7 of the 39 chemicals referred to them for advice and consultation be placed in the ‘high’ priority group, 21 chemicals be placed in the ‘medium’ priority group, and the remaining 11 be placed in the ‘low’ priority group (see table below for specific suggestions concerning chemical priority assignments.)  Follow this link to the slide presentation made by OEHHA.

SUMMARY OF THE COMMITTEE MEETING PROCEDURES DISCUSSION

Following the staff presentation and committee discussion, the CIC advised that they generally prefer the following guidelines:

• Limiting public comments to five minutes per speaker with the Chair retaining discretion to extend the time when speakers are addressing complex scientific issues.  Time responding to clarifying questions from the committee is not included in the 5 minute limit.
• Not allowing speakers to cede time to each other.
• Keeping related speakers together.
• Announce time limits in advance of the meeting.
• Continuing to vote via a show of hands that are tallied and announced by the Chair.

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