Docket Number:  EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-1084

 HYPERLINK "http://www.regulations.gov" www.regulations.gov 

Sodium Tetrathiocarbonate 

Registration Review Final Decision

September 2011

Sodium Tetrathiocarbonate 

 Registration Review Final Decision

September 2011

Case Number 7009

Approved by: ______________________

		Richard P. Keigwin, Jr.

		Director, Pesticide Re-evaluation Division

Date:		______________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.	INTRODUCTION	4

II.	BACKGROUND INFORMATION	5

III.	REGISTRATION REVIEW FINAL DECISION	6

I.	INTRODUCTION

	This document is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA or the
Agency) Registration Review Final Decision for sodium tetrathiocarbonate
and is being issued pursuant to 40 CFR § 155.57 and § 155.58.  A
registration review decision is the Agency’s determination whether a
pesticide meets, or does not meet, the standard for registration in the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

	FIFRA, as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996,
mandated the continuous review of existing pesticides.  All pesticides
distributed or sold in the United States must generally be registered by
EPA, based on scientific data showing that they will not cause
unreasonable risks to human health or the environment when used as
directed on product labeling.  The registration review program is
intended to make sure that, as the ability to assess risk evolves and as
policies and practices change, all registered pesticides continue to
meet the statutory standard of no unreasonable adverse effects to human
health or the environment.  Through the registration review program, the
Agency periodically reevaluates pesticides to make sure that as change
occurs, products in the marketplace can be safely used.  Information on
this program is provided at:   HYPERLINK
"http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/registration_review/"
http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/registration_review/ . 

	In 2006, the Agency implemented the Registration Review program
pursuant to FIFRA Section 3(g), and will review each registered
pesticide every 15 years to determine whether it continues to meet the
FIFRA standard for registration.  

	Pursuant to 40 CFR § 155.50, the Agency formally initiated
registration review for sodium tetrathiocarbonate (case 7009).  The
following timeline highlights significant events that have occurred
during the registration review of sodium tetrathiocarbonate:

December 19, 2007 – Publication of the sodium tetrathiocarbonate
Summary Document, Scoping Document, and Problem Formulation Document in
the docket (EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-1084) for a 90-day public comment period. 
The Summary Document also included the preliminary work plan.

May 28, 2008 – Signature of the sodium tetrathiocarbonate Final Work
Plan and the Agency’s response to the public comments received during
the 90-day comment period on the sodium tetrathiocarbonate Summary
Document.  The one comment received did not change the work plan set out
in the Preliminary Work Plan.  The Sodium Tetrathiocarbonate Final Work
Plan was modified slightly from the Sodium Tetrathiocarbonate
Preliminary Work Plan to include additional human health data
requirements.  The document describing the updated human health data
requirements is included in the public docket (EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-1084).

November 10, 2010 – Publication of a Notice of Receipt of requests to
voluntarily cancel all remaining pesticide registrations containing
sodium tetrathiocarbonate in the Federal Register (75 FR 69073)
(FRL-8851-5).  The docket number for the receipt of the voluntary
cancellation is EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-1017.  No comments were received
regarding sodium tetrathiocarbonate during the 30-day comment period.

February 25, 2011 – Publication of the Product Cancellation Order for
all remaining pesticide registrations containing sodium
tetrathiocarbonate in the Federal Register (76 FR 10587) (FRL-8863-4).

May 4, 2011 – Publication of the sodium tetrathiocarbonate
Registration Review Proposed Final Decision Notice of Availability in
the Federal Register (76 FR, number 86, pages 25340-25342).

July 5, 2011 – Closure of the 60-day public comment period on the
proposed decision.  No comment was received.  

II.	BACKGROUND INFORMATION

	Sodium tetrathiocarbonate is a soil fumigant which acts as a fungicide,
insecticide, and nematicide. Sodium tetrathiocarbonate degrades to
carbon disulfide, hydrogen sulfide, sodium hydrazide, and elemental
sulfur upon contact with water.  Carbon disulfide (PC code 016401) is
the major biologically active degradate.  Tolerances are established for
carbon disulfide from the application of sodium tetrathiocarbonate. 
Carbon disulfide from the application of sodium tetrathiocarbonate is
the residue of concern for risk assessment. 

Sodium tetrathiocarbonate is registered for pre-plant and post-plant
soil applications on almonds, grapes, lemons, oranges, peaches, prunes,
and plums.  It provides control of soil nematodes (e.g., ring,
root-knot), diseases (e.g., phytophthora, armillaria) and insects (e.g.,
grape phylloxera).  It cannot be used in greenhouses and other enclosed
areas.  There are no registered residential uses.  Sodium
tetrathiocarbonate is currently labeled for use only in Arizona,
California, Oregon, and Washington.  The most recent environmental fate
and ecological risk assessments for sodium tetrathiocarbonate were
completed in 1995 and 1996 in support of the proposed new uses on
almonds, peaches, and prunes.  The most recent human health assessments
were also completed in 1995 and 1996 in support of the same proposed new
uses.

	After the Final Work Plan was signed in May 2008 as part of the
registration review process for sodium tetrathiocarbonate, the technical
and end-use product registrant, Arysta Lifescience North America, LLC,
informed the Agency that they were requesting to voluntarily cancel all
of their sodium tetrathiocarbonate product registrations.  These were
the last remaining products registered in the U.S. containing sodium
tetrathiocarbonate.  A Notice of Receipt of requests to voluntarily
cancel all pesticide registrations containing sodium tetrathiocarbonate
published in the Federal Register on November 10, 2010.  There were no
comments submitted regarding sodium tetrathiocarbonate during the 30-day
comment period.  The Agency then issued the product cancellation order
on February 25, 2011 for all remaining sodium tetrathiocarbonate product
registrations.  (Copies of those documents are included in the docket
for this registration review.)  As specified in the Cancellation Order,
registrants are prohibited from selling or distributing end-use products
containing sodium tetrathiocarbonate as of February 25, 2012.  After
February 25, 2012, persons other than the registrants may sell,
distribute, or use existing stocks of products containing sodium
tetrathiocarbonate until existing stocks are exhausted, provided that
such sale, distribution, or use is consistent with the terms of the
previously approved labeling on, or that accompanies, the cancelled
products.

III.	REGISTRATION REVIEW FINAL DECISION

	As stated in the Preliminary Work Plan for sodium tetrathiocarbonate,
the Agency had intended to revise the existing risk assessments for
sodium tetrathiocarbonate.  However, due to the cancellation order
issued affecting all sodium tetrathiocarbonate product registrations in
the United States, the Agency found that it is not necessary to conduct
new risk assessments for sodium tetrathiocarbonate and, therefore,
issued a proposed decision pursuant to 40 CFR Part 155.53(c)(2) and 40
CFR Part 155.58.  The voluntary cancellation of all remaining U.S.
sodium tetrathiocarbonate registrations will become effective prior to
the previously planned completion dates for the revised sodium
tetrathiocarbonate risk assessments.  The Registration Review Timeline
introduced in the Sodium Tetrathiocarbonate Preliminary Work Plan
proposed that the Agency would issue the preliminary risk assessments by
September 2012 and issue the revised risk assessments by March 2013,
with a final registration review decision scheduled for completion by
September 2013.

The existing stocks sales and distribution deadlines included in the
February 25, 2011 cancellation order ensure that sodium
tetrathiocarbonate sale, distribution, and use will decline and
eventually cease entirely in the United States in the future.  During
this period, the Agency believes that existing stocks of sodium
tetrathiocarbonate products may be used until depleted without causing
unreasonable risk to human health and the environment.  Pursuant to 40
CFR § 155.57 and 155.58, the Agency is issuing the registration review
final decision, thus concluding the sodium tetrathiocarbonate
registration review for the reasons discussed above.  The affected
product registrations are subject to the terms and conditions of the
February 25, 2011 cancellation order.

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