Request for Information on Chemicals to be Considered by CIC

Request for Information on Chemicals to be Considered by the OEHHA Science Advisory Board’s 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 1986 (Proposition 65; Health and Safety Code Section 25249.5 et seq.).

The Carcinogen Identification Committee of OEHHA’s Science Advisory Board provides advice on the list of chemicals known to the State to cause cancer, which pursuant to Proposition 65 must be updated annually. The Committee serves as the State’s qualified experts for rendering an opinion whether a chemical has been clearly shown through scientifically valid testing according to generally accepted principles to cause cancer.

OEHHA has developed a procedure for prioritizing candidate chemicals for consideration under Proposition 65 by the State’s qualified experts. The process is described in "Procedure for Prioritizing Candidate Chemicals for Consideration Under Proposition 65 by the State’s Qualified Experts," May 1997. On February 18, 1999, OEHHA released for public comment draft priority assignments and draft data summaries for 59 chemicals with respect to their potential to cause cancer. OEHHA announced the final priority assignments for 54 of these chemicals in a separate notice published elsewhere in this issue of the California Regulatory Notice Register.

In accordance with OEHHA’s prioritization procedure, all chemicals with final priority assignments of "high" carcinogenicity concern are placed on the final Candidate List (Table 1). Chemicals are then selected from the Candidate List for the development of draft cancer hazard identification documents and subsequent consideration for listing by the Carcinogen Identification Committee of OEHHA’s Science Advisory Board. Consistent with OEHHA’s current (May 1997) prioritization procedure, chemicals with the highest level of exposure concern will be selected first from the Candidate List.

TABLE 1. Final Candidate List as of August 6, 1999

n.i.c. – No identified concern

At this time, OEHHA requests information relevant to the assessment of the evidence of carcinogenicity on the following chemicals:

Interested parties or members of the public wishing to provide information relevant to the assessment of these chemicals should forward such information to the address given below. The publication of this notice marks the start of a 60-day data call-in period. This period ends on Tuesday, October 5, 1999. The information received during this data call-in period will be reviewed and considered by OEHHA as it develops the draft cancer hazard identification documents on these compounds.

OEHHA welcomes public participation and public input as part of these scientific assessments. If there is sufficient public interest in a specific candidate chemical, a workshop or other public forum will be held to encourage scientific dialogue prior to completion of the draft hazard identification document.

Notification of the availability of the hazard identification documents and of the time, date, location, and agenda of any workshops and of the next meeting of the Carcinogen Identification Committee will be provided in subsequent notices published in the California Regulatory Notice Register and posted on OEHHA’s Home Page. It is anticipated that the draft hazard identification documents will be made available for a 60-day comment period prior to the committee meetings at which these chemicals will be considered.

Relevant information on these chemicals should be sent in triplicate by mail or fax to:

Cynthia Oshita
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
Post Office Box 4010
1001 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95812-4010
Fax (916) 323-8803
Telephone (916) 445-6900

In order to be considered, the relevant information must be postmarked (if sent by mail) or received at OEHHA (if delivered in person or sent by FAX) by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, October 5, 1999.