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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.).

The Carcinogen Identification Committee of OEHHA’s Science Advisory Board identifies chemicals for addition to the list of chemicals known to the State to cause cancer, which pursuant to Proposition 65 must be updated annually. The Committee serves as the State’s qualified experts for rendering an opinion whether a chemical has been clearly shown through scientifically valid testing according to generally accepted principles to cause cancer.

OEHHA has developed a procedure for prioritizing candidate chemicals for consideration under Proposition 65 by the State’s qualified experts. The process is described in "Procedure for Prioritizing Candidate Chemicals for Consideration Under Proposition 65 by the State’s Qualified Experts," May 1997, and is available on the Internet at www.oehha.ca.gov/. On February 19, 1999, OEHHA released for public comment draft priority assignments and draft data summaries for 59 chemicals with respect to their potential to cause cancer. On August 6, 1999, OEHHA announced the final priority assignments for 54 of these chemicals in the California Regulatory Notice Register and issued a 60-day data call-in on seven chemicals selected from the candidate list, which closed on October 5, 1999 (Register 99, No. 32-Z). The final priority assignments for the remaining five chemicals were announced in a separate notice published in the November 5, 1999 (Register 99, No.45-Z) issue of the California Regulatory Notice Register. Although the majority of the data summaries and priority assignments for the chemicals were finalized in August 1999, additional time was needed to fully review and consider the comments received on the remaining five chemicals (lovastatin, methylphenidate and its hydrochloride, phenelzine and its acid salts, styrene, and tetrachlorovinphos).

In accordance with OEHHA’s prioritization procedure, all chemicals with final priority assignments of "high" carcinogenicity concern are placed on the final Candidate List (Table 1). Chemicals are then selected from the Candidate List for the development of draft cancer hazard identification documents and subsequent consideration for listing by the Carcinogen Identification Committee of OEHHA’s Science Advisory Board. Consistent with OEHHA’s current (May 1997) prioritization procedure, chemicals with the highest level of exposure concern will be selected first from the Candidate List.

TABLE 1. Additions to the Candidate List as of November 19, 1999

* This compound will not be forwarded to the CIC for consideration unless relevant new data unavailable to the State’s qualified experts in April 1991 become available.

At this time, OEHHA requests information relevant to the assessment of the evidence of carcinogenicity on the following chemicals:

Interested parties or members of the public wishing to provide information relevant to the assessment of these chemicals should forward such information to the address given below. The publication of this notice marks the start of a 60-day data call-in period. This period will end on Tuesday, January 18, 2000. The information received during this data call-in period will be reviewed and considered by OEHHA as it develops the draft cancer hazard identification documents on these compounds. OEHHA is aware that styrene is currently being evaluated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA); and continues to follow the progress of the U.S. EPA’s activities regarding styrene with interest. Lovastatin was randomly selected from a pool of chemicals that included four statin pharmacueticals.

OEHHA welcomes public participation and public input as part of these scientific assessments. Because of demonstrated public interest in styrene, a public workshop will be held to provide an opportunity for scientific dialogue prior to completion of the draft hazard identification document. Specific information concerning the time, date, location, and agenda of the workshop will be announced in a future notice published in the California Regulatory Notice Register and posted on the Internet at www.oehha.ca.gov/.

Notification of the availability of the hazard identification documents and of the time, date, location, and agenda of the meeting(s) of the Carcinogen Identification Committee where these chemicals will be considered will also be provided in subsequent notices published in the California Regulatory Notice Register and posted on the Internet at the same web site address. It is anticipated that the draft hazard identification documents will be made available for a 60-day comment period prior to the Committee meetings at which these chemicals will be considered.

Relevant information on these chemicals should be sent in triplicate by mail or fax to:

Cynthia Oshita
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
Post Office Box 4010
Sacramento, CA 95812-4010
Fax (916) 327-1097

Telephone (916) 445-6900

In order to be considered, the relevant information must be postmarked (if sent by mail) or received at OEHHA (if delivered in person or sent by FAX) by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 18, 2000.

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

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