4024 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 17, 2001 / Notices

information merely to publicize OCA

data. We welcome comments on

whether the QR system should include

restrictions on publication of OCA data

for identified facilities and, if so, what

those restrictions should be. We also

welcome comment on any other aspect

of the draft guidance.

Dated: December 28, 2000.

Timothy Fields, Jr.,

Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and

Emergency Response.

[FR Doc. 01–1349 Filed 1–16–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[OPP–34191A FRL–6756–8]

PR Notice on Worker Risk Mitigation

for Organophosphate Pesticides;

Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

availability of a Pesticide Registration

(PR) Notice describing EPA’s approach

for managing risk to workers who may

be exposed to organophosphate (OP)

pesticide products by mixing, loading,

applying, flagging, or otherwise

handling OP pesticides, or are exposed

to residues of these pesticides while

performing tasks in recently treated

areas. This approach generally provides

for basic protective measures such as

closed mixing and loading systems,

enclosed cab equipment, or personal

protective equipment, as well as

increased restricted-entry intervals for

occupational situations where revised

risk assessments indicate that they are

necessary and where these measures are

feasible. Further, this PR Notice outlines

the steps that EPA intends to take to

address situations where baseline

mitigation measures are not feasible, or

situations where maximum feasible

mitigation is still inadequate to protect

workers.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jacqueline Gwaltney, Special Review

and Reregistration Division (7508C),

Office of Pesticide Programs,

Environmental Protection Agency, 1200

Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington,

DC 20460; telephone number: (703)

305–6792; fax number: (703) 308–8041;

e-mail address:

gwaltney.jackie@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

This action is directed to the public

in general. This action may, however, be

of interest to environmental, human

health, agricultural, and agricultural

worker advocates; pesticide users; and

persons who are or may be required to

conduct testing of chemical substances

under Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic

Act (FFDCA), or the Federal Insecticide,

Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act

(FIFRA). Since other entities may also

be interested, the Agency has not

attempted to describe all the specific

entities that may be affected by this

action. If you have any questions

regarding the applicability of this action

to a particular entity, consult the person

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT.

B. How Can I Get Additional

Information, Including Copies of this

Document and Other Related

Documents?

1. Electronically. You may obtain

electronic copies of this document, and

certain other related documents that

might be available electronically, from

the EPA Internet Home Page at http://

www.epa.gov/. To access this

document, on the Home Page select

‘‘Laws and Regulations,’’ ‘‘ Regulations

and Proposed Rules,’’ and then look up

the entry for this document under the

Federal Register—Environmental

Documents. You can also go directly to

the Federal Register listings at http://

www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.

The OP worker risk mitigation PR

notice is available on the Home Page for

the Office of Pesticide Programs at http:/

/www.epa.gov/PR—Notices/pr2000-

9.pdf. EPA’s response to public

comments received on the August 6,

1999, draft PR notice is available at

http://www.epa.gov/PR—Notices/

draftprworker-response.htm . You may

access information about the

organophosphate pesticides at http://

www.epa.gov/pesticides/op.

2. In person. The Agency has

established an official record for this

action under docket control number

OPP–34191A. EPA previously

established an official record under

docket control number OPP–34191

when the Agency published an FR

notice on August 6, 1999 (64 FR 41934)

(FRL–6093–8), announcing the

availability of the draft OP worker risk

mitigation PR notice for public

comment. The official record consists of

the documents specifically referenced in

this action, any public comments

received during an applicable comment

period, and other information related to

this action, including any information

claimed as confidential business

information (CBI). This official record

includes the documents that are

physically located in the docket, as well

as the documents that are referenced in

those documents. The public version of

the official record does not include any

information claimed as CBI. The public

version of the official record, which

includes printed, paper versions of any

electronic comments submitted during

an applicable comment period, is

available for inspection in the Public

Information and Records Integrity

Branch (PIRIB), Rm. 119, Crystal Mall

#2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Hwy.,

Arlington, VA, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,

Monday through Friday, excluding legal

holidays. The PIRIB telephone number

is (703) 305–5805.

II. What Action is the Agency Taking?

This notice announces the availability

of Pesticide Registration (PR) Notice

2000–9, which presents EPA’s approach

for managing risks from

organophosphate (OP) pesticides to

occupational users. The approach

described in this PR Notice applies to

workers who may be exposed to OP

pesticide products by mixing, loading,

applying, flagging, or otherwise

handling them, or by performing tasks

in recently treated areas. The PR Notice

outlines the six steps that EPA will

follow in assessing and managing the

human health risks of an OP pesticide,

to evaluate risks to workers and mitigate

risks of concern. It explains the

protective measures that the Agency is

recommending to reduce OP worker risk

including use of personal protective

equipment; use of engineering controls

such as closed mixing and loading

systems and enclosed cabs and cockpits;

application modifications such as

reducing the rate or frequency of

pesticide applications; mechanical

harvesting; and longer Restricted Entry

Intervals. The PR Notice also addresses

situations where the maximum feasible

mitigation still is inadequate to protect

workers, or where the baseline risk

mitigation measures are not feasible.

The guidance set forth in this PR

Notice is intended to inform

manufacturers, formulators, and users of

the type of risk management decisions

EPA is likely to develop for the OP

pesticides. These chemicals are being

reviewed by the Agency as part of the

larger process of implementing the Food

Quality Protection Act of 1996

amendments to the Federal Insecticide,

Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

and the Federal Food, Drug, and

Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). Implementation

of the FQPA amendments has been the

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 17, 2001 / Notices 4025

subject of a joint effort by EPA, USDA,

and interested stakeholders known as

the Tolerance Reassessment Advisory

Committee (TRAC), recently replaced by

the Committee to Advise on

Reassessment and Transition (CARAT).

Among other initiatives, TRAC

established a process for public

participation in the review and

refinement of risk assessments for the

OP pesticides and for developing risk

management options. USDA,

stakeholders, and the public have the

opportunity to participate by submitting

comments on EPA’s preliminary and

revised risk assessments and by

providing risk management proposals.

During the final phase of this process,

EPA prepares an Interim Reregistration

Eligibility Decision (IRED) or a Report

on FQPA Tolerance Reassessment

Progress and Interim Risk Management

Decision (TRED) document for each OP

pesticide, to implement interim risk

management measures. Worker risk

mitigation is but one aspect of the

comprehensive mitigation strategy that

is developed in concluding each

individual OP assessment.

In a number of cases, the OP risk

assessments show that, even with

maximum feasible personal protective

equipment and engineering controls,

including all provisions required by the

Worker Protection Standard (WPS),

risks to workers still exceed EPA’s

levels of concern. Although each OP

risk management decision and any

associated mitigation measures will be

implemented on a case-by-case basis,

the Agency is outlining its decision

process in the PR Notice because early

notification to registrants will help to

ensure that occupational risk

management decisions for the OPs will

be approached consistently and

implemented quickly and equitably.

EPA encourages registrants to

demonstrate stewardship of their OP

pesticides by adopting the protective

measures described in this PR Notice

prior to the Agency’s completion of

IRED and TRED documents for the OP

chemicals, and to develop new

packaging and application technologies

that reduce worker exposure to

pesticides. Further mitigation may be

needed when the Agency issues its

final, cumulative decision on the OP

class of chemicals.

The PR Notice does not impose

binding obligations on registrants or the

Agency. The measures described will be

implemented as appropriate based on

chemical-specific reviews, including

risk/benefit balancing where necessary,

through pesticide reregistration and

other decision-making processes. EPA is

proposing specific worker risk

mitigation measures for individual OP

pesticides in completing interim risk

management decisions for these

chemicals, and will implement these

measures shortly thereafter. The Agency

envisions managing risks to workers

exposed to other classes of pesticides

posing similar risks, such as the

carbamates, in a similar manner.

List of Subjects

Environmental protection, Chemicals,

Pesticides and pests.

Dated: January 8, 2001.

Lois Rossi,

Director, Special Review and Reregistration

Division.

[FR Doc. 01–1201 Filed 1–16–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–S

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[OPP–00652A; FRL–6761–8]

First Aid Statements on Pesticide

Product Labels, Pesticide Registration

Notice; Update to Guidance

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This notice announces an

update to EPA guidance regarding the

format and content of first aid

statements on all federally regulated

pesticide product labels. This notice

addresses what the Agency believes is

the appropriate first aid language for

pesticide product labels to ensure that

they continue to adequately protect the

public. This notice supersedes Pesticide

Registration Notice 2000–3, published

in the Federal Register on April 19,

2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Amy Breedlove, Field and External

Affairs Division (7506C), Policy and

Regulatory Services Branch, Office of

Pesticide Programs, Environmental

Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania

Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460;

telephone number: (703) 308–9069; fax

number: (703) 305–5884; e-mail address:

breedlove.amy@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

This action is directed to the public

in general. This action may, however, be

of interest to people who are responsible

for developing, reviewing, or approving

first aid information on pesticide labels.

Since other entities may also be

interested, the Agency has not

attempted to describe all the specific

entities that may be affected by this

action. If you have any questions

regarding the applicability of this action

to a particular entity, consult the person

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT.

B. How Can I Get Additional

Information, Including Copies of this

Document and Other Related

Documents?

1. Electronically. You may obtain

electronic copies of this document, and

certain other related documents that

might be available electronically, from

the EPA Internet Home Page at http://

www.epa.gov/. To access this

document, on the Home Page select

‘‘Laws and Regulations,’’ ‘‘Regulations

and Proposed Rules,’’ and then look up

the entry for this document under the

‘‘Federal Register—Environmental

Documents.’’ You can also go directly to

the Federal Register listings at http://

www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/. You may also

obtain copies of the PR Notice by going

directly to the Home Page for the Office

of Pesticide Programs at http://

www.epa.gov/pesticides. Under

‘‘What’s New,’’ select ‘‘Draft PR

Notices,’’ then select PR Notice 2000–1

‘‘First Aid Statements on Pesticide

Product Labels.’’

2. Fax on Demand. You may request

a faxed copy of the PR Notice titled

‘‘First Aid Statements on Pesticide

Product Labels,’’ by using a faxphone to

call (202) 401–0527 and selecting item

6135. You may also follow the

automated menu.

3. In person. The Agency has

previously established an official record

for this action under docket control

number OPP–00652. The official record

consists of the documents specifically

referenced in this action, any public

comments received during an applicable

comment period, and other information

related to this action, including any

information claimed as confidential

business information (CBI). This official

record includes the documents that are

physically located in the docket, as well

as the documents that are referenced in

those documents. The public version of

the official record does not include any

information claimed as CBI. The public

version of the official record, which

includes printed, paper versions of any

electronic comments submitted during

an applicable comment period, is

available for inspection in the Public

Information and Records Integrity

Branch (PIRIB), Rm. 119, Crystal Mall

#2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Hwy.,

Arlington, VA, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,

Monday through Friday, excluding legal