[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 51 (Tuesday, March 17, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13046-13047]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-6874]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPP-00512; FRL-5758-1]
Testing Guidelines; Notice of Availability
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: EPA has established a unified library for test guidelines
issued by the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances
(OPPTS). The unified library for test guidelines is periodically
updated by notices of availability of final test guidelines in the
Federal Register. This notice describes the unified library of OPPTS
guidelines and announces the availability of final test guidelines for
the following two series: Series 810--Product Performance Test
Guidelines, Groups A and C; and Series 840--Spray Drift Test
Guidelines. The changes to the guidelines are editorial in nature and
do not amend the existing requirements under the Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). For both the 810 and 840
Series, the guidance for conducting the test studies has not been
revised; however, background information provided in OPPTS 810.1000 and
840.1000 has been updated. Explicit test requirements for registration
are set out in 40 CFR part 158 and the test guidelines contain
standards for and examples of acceptable testing. Once final test
guidelines are available through the U.S. Government Printing Office
(GPO) and the Internet, earlier guidelines published as the Office of
Pesticide Programs (OPP) Pesticide Assessment Guidelines will be
removed from National Technical Information Services (NTIS).
ADDRESSES: The test guidelines are available from the U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 on the Federal Bulletin Board. By
modem dial (202) 512-1387, telnet and ftp: fedbbs.access.gpo.gov (IP
162.140.64.19) or for disks or paper copies: call (202) 512-0132. The
test guidelines are also available electronically in ASCII and PDF
(portable document format) from the EPA's World Wide Web site (http://
www.epa.gov/epahome/research.htm) under the heading ``Researchers and
Scientists/Test Methods and Guidelines/OPPTS Harmonized Test
Guidelines.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information: By mail:
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)
information: Contact the Communications Services Branch (7506C), Field
and External Affairs Division, Office of Pesticide Programs,
Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460,
telephone number: (703) 305-5017, fax number: (703) 305-5558.
For technical questions on Series 810 Group A test guidelines:
David Brassard, (703) 308-1804 or e-mail:
brassard.david@epamail.epa.gov.
For technical questions on Series 810 Group C test guidelines:
Phillip Hutton, (703) 308-8260 or e-mail: hutton.phil@epamail.epa.gov.
For technical questions on Series 840 test guidelines: Arnet Jones,
703-305-7416 or e-mail: jones.arnet@epamail.epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. EPA's Process for Developing a Unified Library of Test
Guidelines
EPA's OPPTS has been engaged in a multi-year project to harmonize
and/or update test guidelines among the OPP, the Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), and the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD). The goals of the project include
the formulation of harmonized OPP and OPPT test guidelines for those in
common between the two programs, the harmonization of OPPT and/or OPP
test guidelines with those of the OECD, as well as the updating of any
test guidelines unique to OPP or OPPT programs.
Test guidelines that are changed substantively in the
harmonization process or through other updating/amending activities, or
which are new (e.g., for a previously unaddressed test endpoint) will
be made available for public comment by notice in the Federal Register.
Additionally, EPA submits substantively revised and new test guidelines
to peer review by expert scientific panels. Test guidelines which are
reformatted but not changed in any substantive way are not made
available for public comment or submitted to peer review.
All final test guidelines will be made available through the GPO
electronic Federal Bulletin Board and the Internet on the EPA World
Wide Web Home Page as a unified library of OPPTS test guidelines for
use by either EPA program office. Printed versions of the unified
library of OPPTS test guidelines will also be available to the public
through the GPO. For purposes of this Federal Register notice,
``publication'' of the unified library of test guidelines generally
describes the availability of these final guidelines through the GPO
and the Internet. Because harmonization and updating is an ongoing task
that will periodically result in modified test guidelines, some test
guidelines being made available via GPO and the Internet will be
revised in the future. These efforts will ensure that industry is
provided with test guidelines that are current. Explicit test
requirements for pesticide registration are set out in 40 CFR part 158
which refers to specific test guidelines by guideline number. EPA
recommends that the OPPTS test guidelines available through GPO and the
Internet be consulted instead of the OPP Pesticide Assessment
Guidelines published earlier through NTIS.
The test guidelines appearing in the unified library will be given
numerical designations that are different from the designations
provided at 40 CFR parts 158, 795, 796, 797, 798, and 799. OPPTS test
guidelines will be published in 10 disciplinary series as follows:
Series 810--Product Performance Test Guidelines
Series 830--Product Properties Test Guidelines
Series 835--Fate, Transport and Transformation Test Guidelines
Series 840--Spray Drift Test Guidelines
Series 850--Ecological Effects Test Guidelines
Series 860--Residue Chemistry Test Guidelines
Series 870--Health Effects Test Guidelines
Series 875--Occupational and Residential Exposure Test
Guidelines
Series 880--Biochemicals Test Guidelines
Series 885--Microbial Pesticide Test Guidelines
As each notice of availability is published for a set of test
guidelines, the notice will contain a ``Master List'' for the series
affected, which cross references the new OPPTS guideline
[[Page 13047]]
numbers to the original OPP, OPPT, and OECD numbers.
810 and 840 Series
These final test guidelines in the 810 Series replace the
corresponding test guidelines published in the OPP Pesticide Assessment
Guidelines, Subdivision G: Product Performance (EPA Report 540/9-82-
026, October 1982). The Group A test guideline, OPPTS 810.1000,
provides an overview, definitions, and general considerations for
product performance testing. In addition, test standards for pesticides
other than antimicrobials are included in this test guideline. This
test guideline replaces OPP guidelines 90-1 through 90-30, 92-1 through
92-20, and 93-1 through 93-30. For Group C, the Agency is republishing
only those efficacy or product performance test guidelines for public
health uses of invertebrate control agents. The test guidelines in
Group C have been minimally edited with no substantive changes and
replace OPP guidelines 95-1 through 95-30. Group B (Public Health Uses
of Antimicrobial Agents) and Group D (Vertebrate Control Agent Product
Performance Guidelines) are under development and will be published in
the future. The OPPTS Series 840--Spray Drift guidelines replace the
OPP Pesticide Assessment Guidelines, Subdivision R: Pesticide Spray
Drift Evaluation (EPA Report 540/9-84-002, April 1984), OPP guidelines
200-1 through 200-4, 201-1, and 202-1. The guidelines in the 840 series
have been minimally edited for re-publication, but have not been
changed in any substantive way except for the description of the
ongoing effort in developing the Spray Drift Data Base included in
OPPTS 840.1000. Although the Agency plans to revise its approach for
testing for spray drift in the future, the current guidelines are in
effect and are being republished as part of the unified library of
OPPTS test guidelines. When the Agency has completed the process of
revising the Spray Drift guidelines, the revised guidelines will
replace the current guidelines.
II. Notice of Availability of Final Test Guidelines
This notice announces the availability of final test guidelines in
the 810 Series (Group A and Group C) and the 840 Series. The following
is the list of guidelines being made available at this time.
Series 810--Product Performance Test Guidelines
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Existing Numbers EPA Pub.
-------------------------------- no.
OPPTS Number Name -----------
OTS OPP OECD 712-C-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Group A--General..................
810.1000 Overview, Definitions, and General none 90-1, none 98-001
Considerations 90-3
90-30
Group C--Invertebrate Control
Agent Product Performance Test
Guidelines.
810.3000 General considerations for none 95-1 none 98-409
efficacy of invertebrate control
agents
810.3100 Soil treatments for imported fire none 95-3 none 98-410
ants
810.3200 Livestock, poultry, fur- and wool- none 95-8 none 98-414
bearing animal treatments
810.3300 Treatments to control pests of none 95-9, 95- none 98-411
humans and pets 30
810.3400 Mosquito, black fly, and biting none 95-10 none 98-419
midge (sand fly) treatments
810.3500 Premises treatments none 95-11, 95- none 98-413
30
810.3600 Structural treatments none 95-12 none 98-424
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Series 840--Spray Drift Test Guidelines
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Existing Numbers EPA Pub.
-------------------------------- no.
OPPTS Number Name -----------
OTS OPP OECD 712-C-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
840.1000 Background for pesticide aerial none 201-1, none 98-319
drift evaluation 201-4
840.1100 Spray droplet size spectrum none 201-1 none 98-055
840.1200 Spray drift field deposition none 202-1 none 98-112
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Hazardous substances, Health.
Dated: March 10, 1998.
Susan H. Wayland,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and
Toxic Substances.
[FR Doc. 98-6874 Filed 3-16-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6065-50-F
