The California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is the lead agency for the implementation of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65; Health and Safety Code Section 25249.5 et seq.). OEHHA will convene a workshop to discuss issues related to the implementation of the authoritative bodies mechanism for listing under Proposition 65. The workshop will tentatively be held in May or June 1998 and future announcements will identify the date, location and agenda of the workshop. The purpose of the current notice is to seek public input on issues for discussion at the workshop.

The Proposition 65 statute requires the state to publish a list of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity, and that the list be updated at least annually in light of additional knowledge. As one of the mechanisms by which carcinogens and reproductive toxicants are listed, the statute requires the listing of chemicals formally identified as causing cancer or reproductive toxicity by a body considered to be authoritative under Proposition 65 by the State's qualified experts. The Carcinogen Identification Committee (CIC) and the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC) of OEHHA's Science Advisory Board are the State's qualified experts in the areas of carcinogenicity and reproductive toxicity, respectively, under the Proposition. Thus, the CIC and DARTIC have the authority to designate authoritative bodies and to also remove a designation on the grounds that the body is no longer considered to have expertise in the identification of chemicals as causing cancer (by the CIC) or reproductive toxicity (by the DARTIC). The authoritative bodies currently identified under Proposition 65 are the US Environmental Protection Agency, International Agency for Research on Cancer, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, US Food and Drug Administration, and National Toxicology Program.

At their meeting of December 9, 1997, the DARTIC requested that OEHHA convene a public workshop to discuss issues pertaining to the authoritative bodies mechanism for listing chemicals under Proposition 65. Specific issues raised by the Committee included those noted for consideration by the Core Committee of the Risk Assessment Advisory Committee (RAAC): general criteria for authoritative bodies designations, ascertaining the nature and use of peer review in conferring designations, possible designations for limited time periods, greater definition of specific activities within a large organization which would be covered under an authoritative body designation. Other topics identified by the DARTIC for discussion at the workshop were the expertise of existing authoritative bodies in identifying agents as causing reproductive toxicity, and procedures for reconciling cases where authoritative bodies disagree about the potential of an agent to cause reproductive toxicity (or cancer) ('dueling authoritative bodies'). The latter topic had also been previously raised by OEHHA as an issue for discussion at a public workshop (e.g., at the September 25, 1997, CIC meeting).

OEHHA welcomes public participation and public input at this early stage of the workshop planning process. This notice is a call for specific recommendations for and comments on possible topics for discussion at the workshop. Information received will be taken into account by OEHHA as it prepares an agenda and background material for the workshop. Submissions should be sent to:

Cynthia Oshita
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
1001 I Street,
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 324-7572
Follow this link to access a map and directions

our mailing address:
Post Office Box 4010
Sacramento, CA 95812-4010.

FAX (916) 327-1097
(916) 445-6900

To receive full consideration, submissions should be postmarked (if sent by mail) or received at OEHHA (if delivered in person or sent by fax) by 5 p.m., Monday, February 23, 1998.

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For questions regarding Proposition 65, please contact the Cynthia Oshita in the Proposition 65 Implementation Program

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