Availability of Additional Information Related to the Proposition 65 Listing Decision for Chloroform with Regard to Reproductive Toxicity

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 1986 (commonly known as Proposition 65, codified at Health and Safety Code §25249.5 et seq.). The Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant (DART) Identification Committee of OEHHA's Science Advisory Board advises and assists OEHHA in compiling the list of chemicals known to the State to cause reproductive toxicity. 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 reproductive toxicity. (See Health and Safety Code § 25249.8 and Title 22, Cal. Code of Regs., section 12302-12305.)

In a notice entitled “Availability of Hazard Identification Materials for Perchlorate and Announcement of the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee Meeting” published on May 20, 2005, it was noted that at the last DART Identification Committee on November 4, 2004, the Committee considered whether chloroform had been clearly shown through scientifically valid testing according to generally accepted principles to cause reproductive toxicity and voted not to list chloroform under Proposition 65. However, the Committee asked OEHHA to present additional information related to their decision at the next meeting of the Committee. At the meeting, OEHHA agreed to make available to the public, the additional information requested by the Committee, and is doing so at this time.

The additional information being provided by OEHHA to the Committee for their consideration consists of the following:

1. A description of a reanalysis requested by OEHHA and conducted by the authors of data from two epidemiological studies related to chloroform, as requested by the Committee (Infante-Rivard, C (2004). Drinking water contaminants, gene polymorphisms, and fetal growth. Environ Health Perspect. 112(11):1213-6 and Wennborg H, Bodin L, Vainio H, Axelsson G. (2000). Pregnancy outcome of personnel in Swedish biomedical research laboratories. J Occup Environ Med. 42(4):438-46).
2. A copy of an experimental study of the potential developmental toxicity of chloroform in rats published after the last meeting of the Committee (Lim GE, Stals SI, Petrik JJ, Foster WG, Holloway AC (2004). The effects of in utero and lactational exposure to chloroform on postnatal growth and glucose tolerance in male Wistar rats. Endocrine. 25(3):223-8.).

Copies of these documents are available from the Proposition 65 Implementation Office and may be requested by calling (916) 445-6900. The documents are also available through the Internet at the following address: /.

This notice marks the beginning of a 4-week public comment period on these documents. Comments should be submitted in triplicate and directed to:

Ms. Cynthia Oshita 
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
Street Address: 1001 I Street
Sacramento, California 95814

Mailing Address: P. O. Box 4010
Sacramento, California 95812-4010

Fax No.: (916) 323-8803
Telephone: (916) 445-6900

Comments may also be delivered in person or by courier to the above address. It is requested, but not required, that written comments and supporting documentation be transmitted via email addressed to: coshita@oehha.ca.gov. In order to be considered, comments must be postmarked (if sent by mail) or received at OEHHA (if hand-delivered, sent by FAX, or transmitted electronically) by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 29, 2005.

OEHHA will organize and index the comments received and forward the information to the DART Identification Committee members prior to the meeting on August 11, 2005 at which the candidate chemical may be reconsidered.

Comment Period

• November 4, 2004 Meeting of the Science Advisory Board’s Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant (DART) Identification Committee

Downloads

Re-Analysis of Data from Two Chloroform Epidemiological Studies (OEHHA, 2005)
Jul 1, 2005

Notice of Availability of Additional Information - Chloroform
Jul 1, 2005

Chemical Reference

• Chloroform

Meeting Announcements/Information

• November 4, 2004 Meeting of the Science Advisory Board’s Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant (DART) Identification Committee

Related Notices

• Availability of Hazard Identification Materials for Perchlorate and Announcement of the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee Meeting

  May 20, 2005
• Request for Information on Chloroform, a Chemical to be Considered by the DART Identification Committee

  Oct 3, 2003
• August 11, 2005 Meeting of The Science Advisory Board’s Developmental And Reproductive Toxicant (Dart) Identification Committee

  Jul 22, 2005
• Staff Presentations for Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee Meeting Held on November 4, 2004

  Jan 20, 2005
• Availability of the Draft Hazard Identification Documents for Chloroform and Progesterone

  Aug 13, 2004

Footnotes and References

Infante-Rivard:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1247485/

Wennborg: (abstract only, full copy available from OEHHA Proposition 65 Implementation Office)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=
Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt= &list_uids=10774513&query_hl=1;

Lim: (abstract only, full copy available from OEHHA Proposition 65 Implementation Office)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=
Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt= Abstract&list_uids=15758249&query_hl=8?