. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/USA/177 
14 March 2006 
 (06-1141) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   Environmental Protection Agency  (EPA) (183) 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:         
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:         
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Perfluorinated Polymers 
(HS:  3808;  ICS:  13)   
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Premanufacture 
Notification Exemption for Polymers; Amendment of  Polymer Exemption Rule to Exclude Certain Perfluorinated Polymers (22 pages, inEnglish) 
6. Description of content:   EPA is proposing to amend the polymer exemption rule, which 
provides an exemption from the premanufactur e notification (PMN) requirements of the 
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), to exclude from eligibility polymers containing as 
an integral part of their composition, except as impurities, certain perfluoroalkyl moieties consisting of a CF3- or longer chain length.  This proposed exclusion includes polymers that 
contain any one or more of the following:  Perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFAS); perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFAC); fluorotelomers; or perfluoroalkyl moieties that are covalently bound to either a carbon or sulfur atom where the carbon or sulfur atom is an integral part of the 
polymer molecule.  If finalized as proposed , any person who intends to manufacture (or 
import) any of these polymers not already on th e TSCA Inventory would have to complete 
the TSCA premanufacture review process prior to commencing the manufacture or import of such polymers.  EPA believ es this proposed change to the current regulation is necessary 
because, based on recent information, EPA can  no longer conclude that these polymers 
"will not present an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment,'' which is the 
determination necessary to support an exemption under TSCA, such as the polymer exemption rule. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Protection of human health and the environment 
8. Relevant documents:   71 Federal Register (FR) 1 1484 7 March 2006; Title 40 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 723.  Will app ear in the Federal Register when adopted. G/TBT/N/USA/177 
Page 2  
 
  9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }To be determined 
10. Final date for comments:   8 May 2006 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
Full texts are now available on the internet at URLs: 
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/24 22/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/06-
2152.htm 
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/24 22/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/
06-2152.pdf