Docket Number: EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-1084 www.regulations.gov



## Sodium Tetrathi ocarbonate Proposed Registration Review Final Decision

March 2011TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................4

II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ...........................................................5

III. PROPOSED REGISTRATIO N REVIEW FINAL DECISION ..............6

IV. NEXT STEPS AND TIMELINE ................................................................6

3I. INTRODUCTION

This document is the Environmental Prot ection Agency’s (EPA or the Agency) Proposed Registration R eview Final Decision for sodium tetrathiocar bonate and is being issued pursuant to 40 CFR § 155.57 and § 155.58. A registration review decision is the Agency’s determination whether a pesticide meets, or does not meet, the standard for registration in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

FIFRA, as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996, mandated the continuous review of existing pestic ides. All pesticides distributed or sold in the United States must generally be re gistered by EPA, base d on scientific data showing that they will not cause unreasonable risks to human health or the environment when used as directed on product labeling. The registration review program is intended to make sure that, as the ability to asse ss risk evolves and as policies and practices change, all registered pesticides continue to meet the statutory standard of no

unreasonable adverse effects to human hea lth or the environment. Through the registration review program, the Agency periodically reevaluate s pesticides to make sure that as change occurs, products in the mark etplace can be safely used. Information on this program is provided at: http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/registration_review/

.

In 2006, the Agency implemented the Registration Review program pursuant to FIFRA Section 3(g), and will review each registered pesticide every 15 years to

determine whether it continues to meet the FIFRA standard for registration.

Pursuant to 40 CFR § 155.50, the Agency formally initiated registration review for sodium tetrathiocarbonate (case 7009). The following timeline highlights significant

events that have occurred dur ing the registration review of sodium tetrathiocarbonate:

• December 19, 2007 – Publication of the sodium tetrathiocarbonate Summary

Document

, Scoping Document, and Problem Formulation Document in the docket (EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-1084) for a 90-da y public comment period. The Summary

Document also included the preliminary work plan.

• May 28, 2008 – Signature of the sodium tetrathiocarbonate Final Work Plan and the Agency’s response to the public comments received during the 90-day comment period on the sodi um tetrathiocarbonate Summary Document . The one comment received did not change the work plan set out in the Preliminary Work

Plan. T he Sodium Tetrathiocarbonate Final Work Plan was modified slightly from the Sodium Tetrathiocarbonate Preliminary Work Plan to include additional human health data requirements. The document describing the updated human health data requirements is included in the public docket (EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-1084).

• November 10, 2010 – Publication of a Notice of Receipt of requests to voluntarily cancel all remaining pesticide registrati ons containing sodium tetrathiocarbonate

in the Federal Register (75 FR 69073) (FRL-8851-5). The docket number for the receipt of the voluntar y cancellation is EPA-HQ- OPP-2009-1017. No comments

4were received regarding sodium tetr athiocarbonate during the 30-day comment period.

• February 25, 2011 – Publication of th e Product Cancellation Order for all remaining pesticide registrations contai ning sodium tetrathiocarbonate in the Federal Register (76 FR 10587) (FRL-8863-4).

II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Sodium tetrathiocarbonate is a soil fumigant which acts as a fungicide, insecticide, and nematicide. Sodium tetrathi ocarbonate degrades to carbon disulfide, hydrogen sulfide, sodium hydrazide, and elemen tal sulfur upon cont act with water. Carbon disulfide (PC code 016401) is the major biologically active degradate.

Tolerances are established for carbon disulfide from the application of sodium

tetrathiocarbonate. Carbon disu lfide from the application of sodium tetrathiocarbonate is

the residue of concern for risk assessment.

Sodium tetrathiocarbonate is registered for pre-plant and post-plant soil applications on almonds, grapes, lemons, or anges, peaches, prunes, and plums. It provides control of soil nematodes (e.g., ring, root-knot), diseases (e.g., phytophthora, armillaria) and insects (e.g., grape phylloxera). It cannot be used in greenhouses and other enclosed areas. There are no registered residential uses. Sodium tetrathiocarbonate is currently labeled for use only in Arizona , California, Oregon, and Washington. The

most recent environmental fate and ec ological risk assessments for sodium tetrathiocarbonate were comp leted in 1995 and 1996 in support of the proposed new uses on almonds, peaches, and prunes. The most recent human health assessments were also completed in 1995 and 1996 in support of the same proposed new uses.

After the Final Work Plan was signed in May 2008 as part of the registration review process for sodium tetrathiocar bonate, the technical and end-use product registrant, Arysta Lifescience North America, LLC, informed the Agency that they were requesting to voluntarily cancel all of their sodium tetrathiocarbonate product registrations. These were the last remaining products registered in the U.S. containing

sodium tetrathiocarbonate. A Notice of Receipt of reque sts to voluntarily cancel all pesticide registrations co ntaining sodium tetrathio carbonate published in the Federal Register on November 10, 2010. There were no comments submitted regarding sodium tetrathiocarbonate during the 30-day comment period. The Agency then issued the product cancellation order on February 25, 2011 for all remaining sodium tetrathiocarbonate product regi strations. (Copies of those documents are included in the docket for this registration review.) As sp ecified in the Cancellation Order, registrants are prohibited from selling or distributing end-use products containing sodium

tetrathiocarbonate as of Fe bruary 25, 2012. After February 25, 2012, persons other than the registrants may sell, distribute, or use existing stocks of products containing sodium tetrathiocarbonate until existing stocks ar e exhausted, provided that such sale, distribution, or use is consiste nt with the terms of the prev iously approved labeling on, or that accompanies, the cancelled products.

56 III. PROPOSED REGISTRATION REVIEW FINAL DECISION

As stated in the Preliminary Work Plan for sodium tetrathiocarbonate, the Agency had intended to revise the existing risk assessments for sodium tetrathiocarbonate. However, due to the cancellation order issued affecting all sodium tetrathiocarbonate product registrations in the United States, the Agency has found that it is not necessary to

conduct new risk assessments for sodium tetr athiocarbonate and is, therefore, issuing a proposed decision pursuant to 40 CFR Pa rt 155.53(c)(2) and 40 CFR Part 155.58. The voluntary cancellation of all remaining U.S. sodium tetrathiocarbona te registrations will become effective prior to the previously pl anned completion dates for the revised sodium

tetrathiocarbonate risk assessments. The Re gistration Review Timeline introduced in the

Sodium Tetrathiocarbonate Pre liminary Work Plan proposed that the Agency would issue the preliminary risk assessments by September 2012 and issue the revised risk assessments by March 2013, with a final re gistration review decision scheduled for completion by September 2013.

The existing stocks sales and distribution deadlines included in the February 25,

2011 cancellation order ensure that sodium te trathiocarbonate sale, distribution, and use will decline and eventually cease entirely in th e United States in the future. During this period, the Agency believes that existing stoc ks of sodium tetrat hiocarbonate products may be used until depleted without causing unreasonable risk to human health and the environment. Pursuant to 40 CFR § 155.57 and 155.58, the Agency proposes that the registration review final decision be issued, thus concluding the sodium tetrathiocarbonate registrati on review for the reasons discussed above. The affected product registrations are subj ect to the terms and conditions of the February 25, 2011

cancellation order.

IV. NEXT STEPS AND TIMELINE

Pursuant to 40 CFR § 155.58, this proposed registration review final decision document is being entered into the sodi um tetrathiocarbonate docket (EPA-HQ-OPP2007-1084). A Federal Register notice will announce the ava ilability of this proposed registration review final d ecision for sodium tetrathioc arbonate and allow a 60-day comment period. If there are no significant comments or additional information submitted to the docket during the comment peri od that leads the Agency to change its decision, EPA will issue a registration review final decision for sodium tetrathiocarbonate, Case 7009, which will be announced in the Federal Register . The Agency anticipates that the fina l decision will be issued by mid 2011.