. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/497
4 September 2001
(01-4208)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  UNITED STATES
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  Environmental Protection Agency
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, whereapplicable).  Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or
practicable:  Pesticides
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Lindane;  Availability of
Preliminary Risk Assessments (3 pages plus risk assessments)
5. Description of content:  This notice announces the availability of documents that were
developed as part of EPA's pilot public participation process for making re-registration
eligibility decisions for the organophosphate and certain other non-organophosphate
pesticides and for tolerance reassessments consistent with the Federal Food, Drug and
Cosmetic Act, as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA).  Thesedocuments are the preliminary human health and ecological fate and effects risk
assessments and related documents for lindane.  This notice starts a 60-day public comment
period for the preliminary risk assessments.  Comments are to be limited to issued directly
associated with lindane and raised by the risk assessments or other documents placed in the
docket.  By allowing access and opportunity for comment on preliminary risk assessments,
EPA is seeking to strengthen stakeholder involvement and help ensure that our decisions
under FQPA are transparent and based on the be st available information.  The tolerance
reassessment process will ensure that the United States continues to have the safest and
most abundant food supply.  The Agency cautions that risk assessments at this stage are
preliminary only and that further refinements of the risk assessments may be appropriate for
this pesticide.  These documents reflect only the work and analysis conducted as of the time
they were produced and it is appropriate that, as new information becomes available and/oradditional analyses are performed, the conclusions they contain may change.
6. Objective and rationale: [  X ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,
[    ] protect territory from other damage from pests           
7. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [     ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  There are numerous Maximum Residue Limits
(MRLs) for Lindane established by CODEXG/SPS/N/USA/497
Page 2
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  66 FR 45677,
29 August 2001 (available in English)
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined
10. Proposed date of entry into force: To be determined
11. Final date for comments:  Comments must be received on or before 29 October 2001
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [     ] National notification
authority, [     ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:
Environmental Protection Agency
Detailed instructions on where and how to send comments is in the body of the full text
which will be sent upon request to the address in paragraph 12
12. Texts available from: [     ] National notification authority, [     ] National enquiry point
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
United States SPS Enquiry Point/Notification Authority
USDA/FAS/FSTSD
ATTN:  Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture BuildingStop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Phone (202) 720-2239
Fax (202) 690-0677
E-mail address:  ofsts@fas.usda.gov