FILE NAME: Valent _NoticeofFiling .doc x (July XX, 2015 )

EPA REGISTRATION DIVISION COMPANY NOTICE OF FILING FOR PESTICIDE
PETITIONS PUBLISHED IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER

EPA Registration Division contact: Venus Eagle ( 703

- 308

- 8045 )

Valent U.S.A. Corporation

[Insert petition number]

EPA has received a pesticide petition ( [insert petition number] ) from Valent U.S.A. Corporation
, 1600 Riviera Avenue, Suite 200, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 requesting , pursuant to section 408(d) of the Fede ral Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), 21 U.S.C. 346a(d), to amend 40 CFR part 180 by establishing import tolerance s for residues of etoxazole, 2

- (2,6

- difluorophenyl)

- 4

- [4

- (1,1

- dimethylethyl)

- 2

- ethoxyphenyl]

- 4,5

- dihydrooxazole, in or on the raw agricult ural commodity soybean at 0.01 ppm. EPA has determined that the petition contains data or information regarding the elements set forth in section 408 (d)(2) of FDDCA; however, EPA has not fully evaluated the sufficiency of the submitted data at this
time or whether the data supports granting of the petition. Additional data may be needed before EPA rules on the petition.

A. Residue Chemistry

1. Plant metabolism. The qualitative nature of etoxazole residues in plants is adequately understood based upon the plant metabolism studies on cotton, eggplant, apple and orange. Parent compound etoxazole is the major residue formed in all crops studied.

2. Analytical me thod

- Adequate enforcement methodology (GC/MSD) for detecting and measuring levels of etoxazole is available to enforce proposed tolerances in/on soybean and processed commodities. GC/NPD enforcement methodology is also available to enforce proposed lives tock commodity tolerances.

3. Magnitude of residues. Crop field trial data and processing residue data are enclosed

which will support the requested tolerances

.

B. Toxicological Profile

1. Acute toxicity. The acute toxicity of technical grade etoxazo le is low by all routes. The battery of acute toxicity studies place etoxazole in Toxicity Category III. The oral LD50 in the rat is greater than 5 grams/kilogram (g/kg), the dermal LD50 is greater than 2.0 g/kg, and the inhalation LC50 in the rat is great er than 1.09 milligrams/liter (mg/L). Technical grade etoxazole is not an irritant to eyes or skin and is not a skin sensitizer.2. Genotoxicity. Etoxazole was evaluated and found to be negative in an Ames reverse

mutation assay, a chromosome aberration assay, a micronucleus assay, and an

unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) assay. Etoxazole produced a positive result in the mouse lymphoma gene mutation assay but only in the presence of metabolic activation. Etoxazole does not present a genetic hazard.

3. Reproductive and developmental toxicity. The tox icology data for etoxazole provides no indication of increased susceptibility, as compared to adults, of rat and rabbit fetuses to in

utero exposure in developmental studies. The rabbit developmental toxicity study included maternal toxic effects (liver en largement, decreased weight gain, and decreased food consumption) at the same dose as developmental effects (increased incidences of 27 presacral vertebrae and 27 presacral vertebrae with 13th ribs). In the two

- generation reproduction study

conducted with rats, offspring toxicity was more severe (pup mortality) than parental toxicity (increased liver and adrenal weights) at the same dose, indicating increased qualitative susceptibility.

4. Subchronic toxicity. The liver is the main target organ in mice, rats and dogs. In a 90

– day toxicity study in dogs, increased liver weights and centrilobular hepatocellular swelling in the liver were observed. Similar effects were observed in a chronic toxicity study in dogs at similar doses, indicating that systemic e ffects (mainly liver effects) occur at similar dose levels following short

- through long

- term exposure without increasing in severity. In a 90

– day toxicity study in mice, hepatotoxicity (increased relative liver weight, liver enlargement, and

centrilobular hepatocellular swelling) was observed at high doses. Similar effects were observed at the high dose in a mouse carcinogenicity study. Subchronic and chronic toxicity studies in rats produced similar effects (increased liver weights, centrilobular hepatoce llular swelling, etc.) to those seen in mice and dogs. In addition, slight increases in thyroid weights and incisors were observed in subchronic and chronic toxicity studies in rats at high doses and at terminal stages of the study. There is no evidence of immunotoxicity or neurotoxicity in any of the submitted

studies.

5. Chronic toxicity. See summary in section B.4 above . T wo studies in mice showed no evidence of carcinogenicity up to the HDT. In a rat carcinogenicity study, which was deemed
unaccept able due to inadequate dosing, benign interstitial cell tumors (testis) and pancreas benign islet cell adenomas were observed (in females) at the high dose. These effects were not observed in a second acceptable carcinogenicity study in rats at higher dose s. In special mechanistic male rat studies there were no observable changes in serum hormone levels (estradiol, luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin and testosterone) or reproductive effects (interstitial cell proliferation or spermatogenesis) noted. EPA cl assified etoxazole as ‘‘not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.’’ The toxicity endpoint for chronic dietary exposure is derived from the NOAEL from a chronic oral toxicity study in dogs.

6. Animal metabolism. The metabolism of 14C

- tbutylphenyl and 14C

- oxazole

etoxazole has been studied in rats. For both labels, following a single oral dose at 5 mg/kg or 500 mg/kg, the majority of etoxazole is excreted within 7 days, primarily in the feces.7. Metabolite toxicology . Parent compound is the only res idue of concern in

agricultural commodities for tolerance enforcement purposes.

8. Endocrine disruption

. The toxicology database for etoxazole is current and complete. The database includes a thorough evaluation of the potential effects on reproduction and development, and the pathology of the endocrine organs following short

- and long

- term exposure. The bat tery of tests included in support of this petition fully characterizes potential

endocrine

- related in vivo effects and clearly defines NOAEL/LOAEL values.

C. Aggregate Exposure

1. Dietary exposure. A Tier I chronic dietary exposure assessment was con ducted using

tolerance

- level residues, 100% crop treated, and default processing factors for processed commodities lacking supporting residue data. Only a chronic assessment was conducted as EPA
has determined that there is n o effect of concern that would result from acute dietary intake,

and that no quantitative assessment of acute exposure is required

.

i. Food. Input data for the chronic dietary exposure assessment included tolerances supporting currently registered crops and those proposed in this pe tition

. The chronic dietary assessment included all etoxazole registered uses to date using DEEM

- FCID version 2.03 and is

the baseline for this assessment. Chronic dietary exposure to etoxazole on soybean commodities was calculated using the most recent D EEM

- FCID version 3.16 and the results for select subpopulations were combined with those of the previous dietary assessment.

ii. Drinking water

. EPA

- estimated drinking water concentrations (EDWCs) using the First Index Reservoir Screening Tool ( FIRST) were included as part of the dietary exposure

assessment as described in EPA’s 2011 dietary assessment . The EDWC in surface water was estimated to be 4.761 ppb, based on the application of etoxazole to mint at a maximum seasonal application rate of 0.36 lb ai/A cre.

2. Non

- dietary exposure

. There are no residential or proposed residential non

- food uses for etoxazole, therefore there is no non

- dietary component to the estimate of aggregate

exposure.

D. Cumulative Effects

FFDCA Section 408(b)(2) (D)(v) requires that the Agency must consider “available information'' concerning the cumulative effects of a particular pesticide's residues and ``other substances'' that have a common mechanism of toxicity. There are currently no available data or

other reliable information indicating that etoxazole shares a common mechanism of toxicity with any other substance. Only the aggregate exposure of etoxazole has been considered in this risk

assessment

.E. Safety Determination

1. U.S. population. As n o acute toxicity endpoint has been identified for etoxazole, no assessment of acute aggregate exposure is required. The chronic population adjusted dose (cPAD) of 0.046 mg/kg/day has been calculated from the chronic toxicity endpoint using an uncertainty factor of 100X to account for inter

- and intra

- species variability. Based on currently registered uses, and uses proposed in this petition, total chronic aggregate exposure to etoxazole

is co nservatively estimated to be 2.8 % of the cPAD for the U.S . Popul ation. Chronic aggregate exposure below 100% of the cPAD is generally considered to represent a reasonable certainty of no harm to exposed populations

.

2. Infants and children

. FFDCA section 408 provides that EPA shall apply an additional margin of saf

ety, up to ten

- fold, for added protection for infants and children in the case of threshold effects, unless EPA determines that a different margin of safety will be safe for infants and children. The toxicological database for evaluating prenatal and post natal toxicity for etoxazole is complete with respect to current data requirements, and there are no special prenatal or postnatal toxicity concerns for infants and children. EPA has concluded that reliable data
support reduction of the FQPA Safety Factor for protection of infants and children to 1X. Based on currently registered uses, and uses proposed in this petition, total chronic aggregate exposure

to etoxazole is co nservatively estimated to be 11.5 % for children aged 1

- 2 years (the most highly

expo sed subpopulation ) . Chronic aggregate exposure below 100% of the cPAD is generally

considered to represent a reasonable certainty of no harm to exposed populations

.

F. International Tolerances

Maximum residue limits (MRLs) values have been established for etoxazole for soybean legume vegetable in the following countries: European Union, Japan and Taiwan

. The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) has not established MRL s for etoxazole on soybean and/or legume vegetables.