Document ID: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2002-0025-0034
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2002-10-18T04:00Z

PBT
Profiler
Criteria
Introduction
The
PBT
Profiler
is
a
screening­
level
tool
that
provides
estimates
of
the
persistence,
bioaccumulation,
and
toxicity
potential
of
chemical
compounds
and
is
designed
to
be
used
when
no
data
are
available.
In
order
to
help
interested
parties
make
informed
decision
on
a
chemical's
PBT
characteristics,
the
PBT
profiler
automatically
identifies
chemicals
that
may
persist
in
the
environment
and
bioaccumulate
in
the
food
chain.
These
chemicals
are
identified
using
thresholds
published
by
the
EPA.
By
comparing
the
estimated
persistence
and
bioaccumulation
provided
by
the
PBT
Profiler,
interested
parties
can
rapidly
obtain
information
to
make
informed
judgments
on
the
PBT
characteristics
of
the
chemicals
under
consideration.
This
screening
assessment
can
be
used
early
in
the
decision
making
process
to
help
users
better
focus
resources
and
identify
pollution
prevention
opportunities.

The
thresholds
the
PBT
profiler
uses
to
highlight
chemicals
that
may
persist
and/
or
bioaccumulate
in
the
environment
are
based
information
published
by
the
EPA
in
the
Federal
Register.
The
first
policy
statement
is
a
new
category
for
PBT
substances
for
the
review
of
Premanufacture
Notices
(PMNs)
submitted
under
section
5
of
the
Toxics
Substances
Control
Act
(TSCA).
The
second
is
a
final
rule
that
added
several
chemicals
with
PBT
characteristics
and
lowered
reporting
thresholds
for
certain
PBT
chemicals
that
were
already
listed
on
the
Toxics
Release
Inventory
(TRI),
under
section
313
of
the
Emergency
Planning
and
Community
Right­
to­
Know
Act
(EPCRA).
The
criteria
published
in
these
two
Federal
Register
notices
are
comparable.

The
PBT
profiler
uses
a
different
set
of
criteria
to
highlight
chemicals
that
may
be
toxic.
These
criteria
are
based
on
the
scientific
principles
and
quantitative
structure
activity
relationships
that
have
been
used
to
screen
for
toxicity
in
EPA's
New
Chemical
Program
for
over
20years.

The
follow
sections
provide
an
overview
of
the
persistence,
bioaccumulation,
and
toxicity
criteria
the
PBT
Profiler
uses
to
highlight
chemicals.
Extensive
discussions
of
the
scientific
basis
for
the
persistence
and
bioaccumulation
criteria
are
provided
in
the
EPA
notices
discussed
herein.
Interested
parties
are
invited
to
read
the
full
text
of
these
notices,
which
are
available
on­
line
using
the
links
provided.
A
discussion
of
how
the
PBT
Profiler
estimates
persistence,
bioaccumulation,
and
toxicity
is
provided
in
the
PBT
Methodology
section
Persistence
Criteria
To
highlight
a
chemical
that
may
persist
in
the
environment,
the
PBT
profiler
uses
criteria
set
forth
by
the
EPA
in
the
Federal
Register.
An
overview
of
these
criteria
as
presented
in
a
final
rule
and
a
policy
statement
on
a
new
PBT
category
for
new
chemicals
is
provided
below.
The
user
is
encouraged
to
follow
the
links
to
the
Federal
Register
documents
to
gain
insight
on
the
scientific
rationale
for
the
persistence
criteria,
details
on
the
actions
they
describe,
and
other
persistence
criteria
that
have
been
brought
forward
by
other
domestic
and
international
organizations
The
persistence
criteria
for
EPA's
policy
statement
on
a
new
PBT
category
for
Premanufacture
Notices
are:
[Category
for
Persistent,
Bioaccumulative,
and
Toxic
New
Chemical
Substances,
Federal
Register:
November
4,
1999
(Volume
64,
Number
213),
pages
60194­
60204.]

TSCA
Section
5
Action
5
(e)
Order/
Significant
New
Use
Rule
(SNUR)
Ban
Pending
Testing
Half­
life
in
water,
soil,
and
sediment
Half­
life
>
2
Months
Half­
life
>
6
months
The
persistence
criteria
for
EPA's
final
rule
for
TRI
reporting
are:
[
Persistent
Bioaccumulative
Toxic
(PBT)
Chemicals;
Lowering
of
Reporting
Thresholds
for
Certain
PBT
Chemicals;
Addition
of
Certain
PBT
Chemicals;
Community
Right­
to­
Know
Toxic
Chemical
Reporting:
Final
rule,
Federal
Register:
October
29,
1999
(Volume
64,
Number
209),
pages
58666­
58753.]

Considered
Persistent
Considered
Very
Persistent
Half­
life
in
water,
soil,
and
sediment
Half­
life
>=
2
Months
Half­
life>
6
months
Half­
life
in
Air
Half­
life
>
2
days
The
PBT
Profiler
combines
the
persistence
criteria
for
water,
soil,
and
sediment
provided
above
and
highlights
chemicals
with
an
estimated
half­
life
>=
2
months
and
<
6
months
in
orange
text
and
those
with
an
estimated
half­
life
>
=
6
months
in
red.
The
half­
life
in
air
is
not
used
in
the
PBT
Profiler's
Persistence
estimate.
The
PBT
Profiler
uses
30
days
in
a
month
for
its
comparisons.

The
PBT
Profiler
also
estimates
a
chemical's
Characteristic
Travel
distance
(CTD)
in
air
an
expression
of
a
its
long­
range
transport
(LRT)
potential.
The
criteria
the
PBT
Profiler
uses
to
asses
CTD
have
recently
been
published
[Beyer
A.,
Mackay,
D.,
Matthies,
M.,
Wania,
F.
and
Webster,
W
Assessing
Long­
range
Transport
Potential
of
Persistent
Organic
Pollutants.
Environmental
Science
and
Technology.
34:
699­
703
(2000)].
High
(Long
CTD)
Moderate
(intermediate
CTD)
Low
(short
CTD)

CTD
>
2,000
Km
>=
700
and
<=
2,
000
Km
<
700
Km
In
this
classification
scheme,
a
CTD
of
>2,
000
was
chosen
to
be
representative
of
the
long
range
transport
potential
typically
associated
with
persistent
organic
pollutants
(POPs).

Bioaccumulation
Criteria
To
highlight
a
chemical
that
may
bioaccumulate
in
the
food
chain,
the
PBT
profiler
uses
criteria
set
forth
by
the
EPA
in
the
Federal
Register.
These
criteria
use
a
bioconcentration
factor
(BCF)
as
the
indicator
of
a
chemical's
potential
to
bioaccumulate.
An
overview
of
these
criteria
as
presented
in
a
final
rule
and
a
policy
statement
is
provided
below.
The
user
is
encouraged
to
follow
the
links
to
the
Federal
Register
documents
to
gain
insight
on
the
scientific
rationale
for
the
bioaccumulation
criteria,
details
on
the
actions
they
describe,
and
other
bioaccumulation
criteria
that
have
been
brought
forward
by
other
domestic
and
international
organizations.

The
bioaccumulation
criteria
for
EPA's
policy
statement
on
Premanufacture
Notices
are:
[Category
for
Persistent,
Bioaccumulative,
and
Toxic
New
Chemical
Substances,
Federal
Register:
November
4,
1999
(Volume
64,
Number
213),
pages
60194­
60204.]

TSCA
Section
5
Action
5
(e)
Order/
Significant
New
Use
Rule
(SNUR)
Ban
Pending
Testing
Bioconcentration
factor
(BCF)
>=
1,
000
>=
5,
000
The
bioaccumulation
criteria
for
EPA's
rule
for
TRI
reporting
are:
[
Persistent
Bioaccumulative
Toxic
(PBT)
Chemicals;
Lowering
of
Reporting
Thresholds
for
Certain
PBT
Chemicals;
Community
Right­
to­
Know
Toxic
Chemical
Reporting:
Final
rule
Federal
Register:
October
29,
1999
(Volume
64,
Number
209),
pages
58666­
58753.]

Considered
Bioaccumulative
Considered
Very
Bioaccumulative
Bioconcentration
factor
(BCF)
>
=
1,
000
>
5,
000
The
PBT
Profiler
combines
the
bioaccumulation
criteria
provided
above
and
highlights
chemicals
with
a
BCF
>=
1,
000
and
<
5,000
in
orange
text
and
those
with
a
BCF
>
=
5,000
in
red.

Toxicity
To
highlight
a
chemical
that
may
be
toxic
to
aquatic
organisms,
the
PBT
profiler
uses
criteria
developed
in
EPA's
New
Chemical
Program
[Clements,
R.
G.;
Nabholz,
J.
V.;
Johnson,
D.
E.;
and
Zeeman,
M.
G.
The
Use
of
Quantitative
Structure­
Activity
Relationships
(QSARs)
as
Screening
Tools
in
Environmental
Assessment.
Environmental
Toxiciology
and
Risk
Assessment,
2nd
Vol.,
edited
by
J.
W.
Gorsuch,
F.
J.
Dwyer,
C.
G.
Ingersoll,
and
T.
W.
LaPoint,
pp
555­
570.
ASTM
STP
1216.
Philadelphia:
American
Society
for
Testing
and
Materials,
1993].
The
criteria
used
in
the
New
Chemicals
Program
are:

Low
Concern
Moderate
Concern
High
Concern
Fish
ChV
(mg/
l)
>
10
mg/
l
0.
1
­
10
mg/
l
<
0.
1
mg/
l
Developed
by
the
Environmental
Science
Center
under
contract
to
the
Office
of
Pollution
Prevention
and
Toxics
,
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency
Computer
Resources
Donated
by
Syracuse
Research
Corporation
Ver
0.
911
BetaR
Restricted
Access
Last
Updated
April
18,
2001