. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/479
31 July 2001
(01-3800)
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 - EPA
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable).
Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  Pesticides
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Sodium Acifluorfen; Availability of
Risk Assessments (3 pages plus related documents)
5. Description of content:  This notice announces the availability of documents that were
developed as part of EPA's process for making pesticide reregistration eligibility decisions and
tolerance reassessments consistent with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA),
as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA).  These documents are the
human health and ecological fate and effects risk assessments and related documents for
sodium acifluorfen (Blazer).  This notice also starts a 60-day public comment period for therisk assessments. Comments are to be limited to issues directly associated with sodium
acifluorfen and raised by the risk assessments or other documents placed in the docket. By
allowing access and opportunity for comment on the risk assessments, EPA is seeking to
strengthen stakeholder involvement and help ensure that our decisions under FQPA are
transparent and based on the best 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 these risk assessments for sodium acifluorfen are preliminary andthat further refinements may be appropriate.  Risk assessments 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/or additional 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 [  X ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  There are no Codex MRLs for sodium acifluorfen.
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  66 FR 39040,
26 July 2001 (Available in English)
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined.G/SPS/N/USA/479
Page 2
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined.
11. Final date for comments:  Comments must be received on or before 24 September 2001.
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: Environmental Protection Agency
[    ] National notification authority, [     ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number
and E-mail address (if available) of other body:  Detailed instruction on where and how to
send comments are in the body of the full text - which will be sent upon request to the address
in paragraph 12.  The related documents are also available.
12. Texts available from: [  X ] National notification authority, [  X ] National enquiry point or
address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
United States SPS Enquiry Point/Notification Authority
Attn:  Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture Building
Stop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.Washington, D.C.20250
Tel:  (202) 720-2239
Fax:  (202) 690-0677
E-mail:  ofsts@fas.usda.gov