47100 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 160 / Monday, August 23, 2021 / Notices 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–HQ–ORD–2020–0675; FRL–8870–01– 

ORD] 

Availability of the Draft IRIS 

Toxicological Review of 

Perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA) and 

Related Compound Ammonium 

Perfluorobutanoic Acid 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of public comment 

period. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) is announcing a 60-day 

public comment period associated with 

release of the IRIS Toxicological Review 

of Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) and 

Related Compound Ammonium 

Perfluorobutanoic Acid. The draft 

document was prepared by the Center 

for Public Health and Environmental 

Assessment (CPHEA) within EPA’s 

Office of Research and Development 

(ORD). EPA is releasing this draft IRIS 

assessment for public comment in 

advance of a contract-led peer review. 

Public comments received will be 

provided to the external peer reviewers. 

Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG), a 

contractor to EPA, will convene a public 

meeting to discuss the draft report with 

the public during Step 4 of the IRIS 

Process. The external peer reviewers 

will consider public comments 

submitted in response to this notice and 

provided at the public meeting when 

reviewing this document. EPA will 

consider all comments received when 

revising the document post-peer review. 

This draft assessment is not final as 

described in EPA’s information quality 

guidelines, and it does not represent, 

and should not be construed to 

represent Agency policy or views. 

DATES: The 60-day public comment 

period begins August 23, 2021 and ends 

October 22, 2021. Comments must be 

received on or before October 22, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: The IRIS Toxicological 

Review of Perfluorobutanoic acid 

(PFBA) and Related Compound 

Ammonium Perfluorobutanoic Acid 

will be available via the internet on the 

IRIS website at https://www.epa.gov/ 

iris/iris-recent-additions and in the 

public docket at http://

www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. 

EPA–HQ–ORD–2020–0675. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information on the public comment 

period, contact the ORD Docket at the 

EPA Headquarters Docket Center; 

telephone: 202–566–1752; facsimile: 

202–566–9744; or email: Docket_ORD@

epa.gov. 

For technical information on the IRIS 

Toxicological Review of 

Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) and 

Related Compound Ammonium 

Perfluorobutanoic Acid, contact Ms. 

Vicki Soto, CPHEA; telephone: 202– 

564–3077; or email: soto.vicki@epa.gov. 

The IRIS Program will provide updates 

through the IRIS website (https://

www.epa.gov/iris) and via EPA’s IRIS 

listserv. To register for the IRIS listserv, 

visit the IRIS website (https://

www.epa.gov/iris) or visit https://

www.epa.gov/iris/forms/stayingconnected-integrated-risk-informationsystem#connect. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Information on IRIS PFAS 

Assessments 

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances 

(PFAS) are a large class of man-made 

chemicals widely used in consumer 

products and industrial processes. The 

basic structure of PFAS consists of a 

carbon chain surrounded by fluorine 

atoms, with different chemicals 

possessing different end groups. The 

five toxicity assessments being 

developed according to the scope and 

methods outlined in the publicly posted 

systematic review protocol (https://

cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris_drafts/ 

recordisplay.cfm?deid=345065) build 

upon several other PFAS assessments 

that have already been developed, and 

represent only one component of the 

broader PFAS action plan underway at 

the U.S. EPA (https://www.epa.gov/ 

pfas/epas-pfas-action-plan). 

II. How To Submit Technical Comments 

to the Docket at http://

www.regulations.gov 

Submit your comments, identified by 

Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2020– 

0675 for the draft IRIS Toxicological 

Review of Perfluorobutanoic acid 

(PFBA) and Related Compound 

Ammonium Perfluorobutanoic Acid, by 

one of the following methods: 

• www.regulations.gov: Follow the 

on-line instructions for submitting 

comments. 

• Email: Docket_ORD@epa.gov. 

• Fax: 202–566–9744. Due to COVID– 

19, there may be a delay in processing 

comments submitted by fax. 

• Mail: U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center 

(ORD Docket), Mail Code: 28221T, 1200 

Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, 

DC 20460. The phone number is 202– 

566–1752. Due to COVID–19, there may 

be a delay in processing comments 

submitted by mail. 

Note: The EPA Docket Center and Reading 

Room may be closed to public visitors to 

reduce the risk of transmitting COVID–19. 

Docket Center staff will continue to provide 

remote customer service via email, phone, 

and webform. The public can submit 

comments via www.Regulations.gov or email. 

No hand deliveries are currently being 

accepted. 

Instructions: Direct your comments to 

Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2020– 

0675. Please ensure that your comments 

are submitted within the specified 

comment period. Comments received 

after the closing date will be marked 

‘‘late,’’ and may only be considered if 

time permits. It is EPA’s policy to 

include all comments it receives in the 

public docket without change and to 

make the comments available online at 

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information provided, unless a 

comment includes information claimed 

to be Confidential Business Information 

(CBI) or other information for which 

disclosure is restricted by statute. Do 

not submit information through 

www.regulations.gov or email that you 

consider to be CBI or otherwise 

protected. The www.regulations.gov 

website is an ‘‘anonymous access’’ 

system, which means EPA will not 

know your identity or contact 

information unless you provide it in the 

body of your comment. If you send an 

email comment directly to EPA without 

going through www.regulations.gov, 

your email address will be 

automatically captured and included as 

part of the comment that is placed in the 

public docket and made available on the 

internet. If you submit an electronic 

comment, EPA recommends that you 

include your name and other contact 

information in the body of your 

comment and with any disk or CD–ROM 

you submit. If EPA cannot read your 

comment due to technical difficulties 

and cannot contact you for clarification, 

EPA may not be able to consider your 

comment. Electronic files should avoid 

the use of special characters, any form 

of encryption, and be free of any defects 

or viruses. For additional information 

about EPA’s public docket visit the EPA 

Docket Center homepage at 

www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm. 

Docket: Documents in the docket are 

listed in the www.regulations.gov index. 

Although listed in the index, some 

information is not publicly available, 

e.g., CBI or other information whose 

disclosure is restricted by statute. 

Certain other materials, such as 

copyrighted material, are publicly 

available only in hard copy. Publicly 

available docket materials are available 

either electronically in 

www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 160 / Monday, August 23, 2021 / Notices 47101 

the ORD Docket in the EPA 

Headquarters Docket Center. 

Timothy Watkins, 

Acting Director, Center for Public Health & 

Environmental Assessment. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18029 Filed 8–20–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–8881–01–ORD] 

Request for Nominations of Experts for 

the Review of EPA’s Draft 

Toxicological Reviews of 

Perfluorodecanoic Acid (PFDA), 

Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA), 

Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA), 

Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), 

and Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice; request for nominations. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) Center for Public Health 

and Environmental Assessment 

(CPHEA) requests public nominations of 

scientific experts for the upcoming peer 

reviews of five Integrated Risk 

Information System (IRIS) assessments 

including: Perfluorodecanoic acid 

(PFDA; CASRN 335–76–2), 

perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA; CASRN 

375–24–4), perfluorohexanoic acid 

(PFHxA, CASRN 307–24–4), 

perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS, 

CASRN 355–46–4), and 

perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA, CASRN 

375–22–4), and their related salts which 

are all members of the group per- and 

polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Each 

assessment will undergo independent 

external scientific peer review managed 

by Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG), 

a contractor to EPA. A single peer 

review panel will review all five (5) 

PFAS IRIS assessments. Interested 

stakeholders will be provided 30-days to 

submit nominations for expert reviewers 

to ERG for their consideration. 

DATES: The 30-day public comment 

period to provide nominations begins 

August 23, 2021 and ends September 

22, 2021. Comments must be received 

on or before September 22, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Submit nominations by 

emailing them to peerreview@erg.com 

(subject line: EPA PFAS assessments 

peer review) at ERG no later than 

September 22, 2021. Please be advised 

that public comments are subject to 

release under the Freedom of 

Information Act, including 

communications on these nominations. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

For general information please 

contact: Vicki Soto, CPHEA; email: 

soto.vicki@epa.gov. 

For questions about the peer review, 

including the nomination process, 

please contact: Laurie Waite, ERG, by 

email at peerreview@erg.com (subject 

line: EPA PFAS assessments peer 

review); or by phone: (781) 674–7362. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

Information on IRIS PFAS Assessments 

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances 

(PFAS) are a large class of man-made 

chemicals widely used in consumer 

products and industrial processes. The 

basic structure of PFAS consists of a 

carbon chain surrounded by fluorine 

atoms, with different chemicals 

possessing different end groups. The 

five IRIS toxicity assessments are being 

developed according to the scope and 

methods outlined in the publicly posted 

systematic review protocol (https://

cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris_drafts/ 

recordisplay.cfm?deid=345065) and 

they build upon several other PFAS 

assessments that have already been 

developed, and represent only one 

component of the broader PFAS action 

plan underway at the U.S. EPA (https:// 

www.epa.gov/pfas/epas-pfas-actionplan). 

EPA is releasing the announcement to 

notify the public of upcoming peer 

review activities related to five IRIS five 

per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances 

(PFAS) Integrated Risk Information 

System (IRIS) assessments including: 

Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA; CASRN 

335–76–2), perfluorononanoic acid 

(PFNA; CASRN 375–24–4), 

perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA, CASRN 

307–24–4), perfluorohexanesulfonic 

acid (PFHxS, CASRN 355–46–4), and 

perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA, CASRN 

375 22 4), and their related salts which 

are all members of the group per- and 

polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). 

These documents will undergo 

independent external scientific peer 

review managed by ERG, a contractor to 

EPA. EPA has instructed ERG to 

formulate a single pool of eighteen (18) 

candidate external reviewers to provide 

independent external reviews of all five 

PFAS IRIS assessments. After 

consideration of peer reviewer 

nominations submitted to ERG in 

response to this FRN and after 

consideration of public comments on 

the List of Candidates (to be announced 

in a future FRN), ERG will select from 

this pool the final list of up to nine (9) 

peer reviewers in a manner consistent 

with EPA’s Peer Review Handbook 4th 

Edition, 2015 (EPA/100/B–15/001). EPA 

will provide updates on the status of the 

peer review via the IRIS website 

(https://www.epa.gov/iris). EPA 

encourages all interested stakeholders to 

register for the IRIS listserv by visiting 

the IRIS website at https://www.epa.gov/ 

iris/forms/staying-connected-integratedrisk-information-system#connect. 

Specific questions or comments on the 

peer review process should be directed 

to ERG. 

II. Information About This Peer Review 

ERG is seeking nominations of 

nationally and internationally 

recognized scientists with demonstrated 

expertise and research on per- and 

polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in 

one or more of the following areas: 

Environmental epidemiology with 

experience in the application of 

systematic review principles to 

environmental exposures and/or 

immunotoxicity expertise; experimental 

toxicology with experience in the 

application of systematic review 

principles to environmental exposures 

and/or immunotoxicity expertise, 

hepatic effects, thyroid effects, 

developmental effects, biological 

mechanisms of human disease/health 

effects, and absorption, distribution, 

metabolism, and excretion (ADME) 

knowledge; and physiologically-based 

pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling, 

toxicokinetics, and dose-response 

modeling of animal data. Questions 

regarding this review should be directed 

to Laurie Waite, ERG, by email at 

peerreview@erg.com (subject line: EPA 

PFAS assessments peer review); or by 

phone: (781) 674–7362. For EPA, a 

balanced review panel includes 

candidates who possess the necessary 

domains of knowledge, the relevant 

scientific perspectives (which, among 

other factors, can be influenced by work 

history and affiliation), and the 

collective breadth of experience to 

adequately address the peer review 

charge. In forming this expert panel, 

ERG will consider public comments on 

the List of Candidates, information 

provided by the candidates themselves, 

and background information. Selection 

criteria to be used for panel membership 

include: (a) Scientific and/or technical 

expertise, knowledge, and experience 

(primary factors); (b) availability and 

willingness to serve; (c) absence of any 

potential organizational or personal 

conflicts of interest; (d) skills working in 

committees, subcommittees and 

advisory panels; and, (e) for the panel as 

a whole, diversity of expertise and 

scientific points of view. 

Process and Deadline for Submitting 

Nominations: Any interested person or 

organization may nominate qualified 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES