. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/USA/1567 
1 June 2007 
 (07-2267) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd 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 should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):   Potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, onions, p eanuts, lettuce, watermelons, and orchard 
crops  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  Any 
US trade partners 
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  NOTICE. Metam 
Sodium and Metam Potassium; Revised Human Health Risk Assessment, Notice of Availability and Solicitation of Risk Reducti on Options (available in English, 3 pages) 
6. Description of content:  This notice announces the availability and seeks comments on 
EPA's revised human health risk assessment for the pesticide fumigants metam sodium and metam potassium. In addition, this notice so licits public comment on the risk reduction 
options paper for fumigants including me tam sodium and metam potassium and EPA's 
benefits assessments for the soil fumigants.  The Agency is also seeking comments on the 
ecological risk assessment which was not revised since the last public comment period.  The 
public is encouraged to suggest risk mana gement ideas or proposals to address the risks 
identified. EPA is developing a Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for metam sodium and metam potassium through the full, 6-Phase public participation process that the 
Agency uses to involve the public in devel oping pesticide reregistration and tolerance 
reassessment decisions. EPA also is concurrently assessing the risks of four other soil fumigant pesticides to ensure that its assessm ent approaches are consistent, and to ensure 
that risk tradeoffs and economic outcomes can be adequately predicted in reaching risk 
management decisions.  The Agency is seek ing the same input from the public on these 
pesticides on a similar schedule.  Through these programs, EPA is ensuring that all 
pesticides meet current health and safety standards. 
7. Objective and rationale: [ X ] food safety,  [   ] animal health,  [ X ] plant protection, 
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ X ] protect territory from other damage from pests   G/SPS/N/USA/1567 
Page 2  
 
  8. International standard, guideline or recommendation: 
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention,  [ X ] None 
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:   
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Federal Register: 
2 May 2007 (Volume 72, Number  84) Notices Page 24290-24292; 
http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-PEST/2007/May/Day-02/p8269.htm 
10. Proposed date of adoption:  N/A 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  This is a notice of availability which may or may not 
result in further regulatory action. 
12. Final date for comments:  Comments must be received on or before 2 July 2007, and may 
be identified by docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0125. 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification 
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:  Registration Division, (7505P), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001  
13. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notifi cation authority, [   ] National enquiry 
point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:  United 
States SPS National Notification Authority, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, International Regulations and Standards Di vision (IRSD), Stop 1027, Washington D.C. 
20250.  Tel:  202-720-1301;  Fax:  2 02-690-0677;  E-mail:  fstsd@fas.usda.gov