[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 213 (Monday, November 6, 2017)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 51351-51355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24110]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 180

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2017-0362; FRL-9969-99]


Formaldehyde, Polymer With 1,3-Benzenediol, 2-Methyloxirane and 
Oxirane, Ethers With Polyethylene Glycol Mono-Me Ether; Exemption From 
the Requirement of a Tolerance

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This regulation establishes an exemption from the requirement 
of a tolerance for residues of formaldehyde, polymer with 1,3-
benzenediol, 2-methyloxirane and oxirane, ethers with polyethylene 
glycol mono-Me ether (CAS Reg. No. 1998118-31-2) when

[[Page 51352]]

used as an inert ingredient in a pesticide chemical formulation. Eco 
Verde Technologies Inc. submitted a petition to EPA under the Federal 
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), requesting an exemption from the 
requirement of a tolerance. This regulation eliminates the need to 
establish a maximum permissible level for residues of formaldehyde, 
polymer with 1,3-benzenediol, 2-methyloxirane and oxirane, ethers with 
polyethylene glycol mono-Me ether on food or feed commodities.

DATES: This regulation is effective November 6, 2017. Objections and 
requests for hearings must be received on or before January 5, 2018, 
and must be filed in accordance with the instructions provided in 40 
CFR part 178 (see also Unit I.C. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION).

ADDRESSES: The docket for this action, identified by docket 
identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2017-0362, is available at http://www.regulations.gov or at the Office of Pesticide Programs Regulatory 
Public Docket (OPP Docket) in the Environmental Protection Agency 
Docket Center (EPA/DC), West William Jefferson Clinton Bldg., Rm. 3334, 
1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001. The Public 
Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public 
Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the OPP 
Docket is (703) 305-5805. Please review the visitor instructions and 
additional information about the docket available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Goodis, Director Registration 
Division (7505P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001; main telephone number: (703) 305-7090; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

    You may be potentially affected by this action if you are an 
agricultural producer, food manufacturer, or pesticide manufacturer. 
The following list of North American Industrial Classification System 
(NAICS) codes is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a 
guide to help readers determine whether this document applies to them. 
Potentially affected entities may include:
     Crop production (NAICS code 111).
     Animal production (NAICS code 112).
     Food manufacturing (NAICS code 311).
     Pesticide manufacturing (NAICS code 32532).

B. How can I get electronic access to other related information?

    You may access a frequently updated electronic version of 40 CFR 
part 180 through the Government Printing Office's e-CFR site at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?&c=ecfr&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title40/40tab_02.tpl.

C. Can I file an objection or hearing request?

    Under FFDCA section 408(g), 21 U.S.C. 346a, any person may file an 
objection to any aspect of this regulation and may also request a 
hearing on those objections. You must file your objection or request a 
hearing on this regulation in accordance with the instructions provided 
in 40 CFR part 178. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, you must identify 
docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2017-0362 in the subject line on the first 
page of your submission. All objections and requests for a hearing must 
be in writing, and must be received by the Hearing Clerk on or before 
January 5, 2018. Addresses for mail and hand delivery of objections and 
hearing requests are provided in 40 CFR 178.25(b).
    In addition to filing an objection or hearing request with the 
Hearing Clerk as described in 40 CFR part 178, please submit a copy of 
the filing (excluding any Confidential Business Information (CBI)) for 
inclusion in the public docket. Information not marked confidential 
pursuant to 40 CFR part 2 may be disclosed publicly by EPA without 
prior notice. Submit the non-CBI copy of your objection or hearing 
request, identified by docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2017-0362, by one of 
the following methods.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit 
electronically any information you consider to be CBI or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
     Mail: OPP Docket, Environmental Protection Agency Docket 
Center (EPA/DC), (28221T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 
20460-0001.
     Hand Delivery: To make special arrangements for hand 
delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the 
instructions at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.html. Additional 
instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along with more 
information about dockets generally, is available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.

II. Background and Statutory Findings

    In the Federal Register of September 15, 2017 (82 FR 43352; FRL-
9965-43), EPA issued a document pursuant to FFDCA section 408, 21 
U.S.C. 346a, announcing the receipt of a pesticide petition (PP IN-
11043) filed by Eco Verde Technologies Inc., 400 NW. 172nd Avenue, 
Pembroke Pines, FL. The petition requested that 40 CFR 180.960 be 
amended by establishing an exemption from the requirement of a 
tolerance for residues of formaldehyde, polymer with 1,3-benzenediol, 
2-methyloxirane and oxirane, ethers with polyethylene glycol mono-Me 
ether (CAS Reg. No. 1998118-31-2). That document included a summary of 
the petition prepared by the petitioner and solicited comments on the 
petitioner's request. There were no comments received in response to 
the notice of filing.
    Section 408(c)(2)(A)(i) of FFDCA allows EPA to establish an 
exemption from the requirement for a tolerance (the legal limit for a 
pesticide chemical residue in or on a food) only if EPA determines that 
the exemption is ``safe.'' Section 408(c)(2)(A)(ii) of FFDCA defines 
``safe'' to mean that ``there is a reasonable certainty that no harm 
will result from aggregate exposure to the pesticide chemical residue, 
including all anticipated dietary exposures and all other exposures for 
which there is reliable information.'' This includes exposure through 
drinking water and use in residential settings, but does not include 
occupational exposure. Section 408(b)(2)(C) of FFDCA requires EPA to 
give special consideration to exposure of infants and children to the 
pesticide chemical residue in establishing an exemption from the 
requirement of a tolerance and to ``ensure that there is a reasonable 
certainty that no harm will result to infants and children from 
aggregate exposure to the pesticide chemical residue . . .'' and 
specifies factors EPA is to consider in establishing an exemption.

III. Risk Assessment and Statutory Findings

    EPA establishes exemptions from the requirement of a tolerance only 
in those cases where it can be shown that the risks from aggregate 
exposure to pesticide chemical residues under reasonably foreseeable 
circumstances will pose no appreciable risks to human health. In order 
to determine the risks from aggregate exposure to pesticide

[[Page 51353]]

inert ingredients, the Agency considers the toxicity of the inert in 
conjunction with possible exposure to residues of the inert ingredient 
through food, drinking water, and through other exposures that occur as 
a result of pesticide use in residential settings. If EPA is able to 
determine that a finite tolerance is not necessary to ensure that there 
is a reasonable certainty that no harm will result from aggregate 
exposure to the inert ingredient, an exemption from the requirement of 
a tolerance may be established.
    Consistent with FFDCA section 408(b)(2)(D), EPA has reviewed the 
available scientific data and other relevant information in support of 
this action and considered its validity, completeness and reliability 
and the relationship of this information to human risk. EPA has also 
considered available information concerning the variability of the 
sensitivities of major identifiable subgroups of consumers, including 
infants and children. In the case of certain chemical substances that 
are defined as polymers, the Agency has established a set of criteria 
to identify categories of polymers expected to present minimal or no 
risk. The definition of a polymer is given in 40 CFR 723.250(b) and the 
exclusion criteria for identifying these low-risk polymers are 
described in 40 CFR 723.250(d). Formaldehyde, polymer with 1,3-
benzenediol, 2-methyloxirane and oxirane, ethers with polyethylene 
glycol mono-Me ether conforms to the definition of a polymer given in 
40 CFR 723.250(b) and meets the following criteria that are used to 
identify low-risk polymers.
    1. The polymer is a cationic or potentially cationic polymer with 
low cationic density (the percent of cationic or potentially cationic 
species with respect to the overall weight of polymer).
    2. The polymer does contain as an integral part of its composition 
the atomic elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
    3. The polymer does not contain as an integral part of its 
composition, except as impurities, any element other than those listed 
in 40 CFR 723.250(d)(2)(ii).
    4. The polymer is neither designed nor can it be reasonably 
anticipated to substantially degrade, decompose, or depolymerize.
    5. The polymer is manufactured or imported from monomers and/or 
reactants that are already included on the TSCA Chemical Substance 
Inventory or manufactured under an applicable TSCA section 5 exemption.
    6. The polymer is not a water absorbing polymer with a number 
average molecular weight (MW) greater than or equal to 10,000 daltons.
    Additionally, the polymer also meets as required the following 
exemption criteria specified in 40 CFR 723.250(e).
    7. The polymer's minimum number average MW of 1,000,000 is greater 
than 10,000 daltons. The polymer contains less than 2% oligomeric 
material below MW 500 and less than 5% oligomeric material below MW 
1,000, and the polymer does not contain any reactive functional groups.
    Thus, formaldehyde, polymer with 1,3-benzenediol, 2-methyloxirane 
and oxirane, ethers with polyethylene glycol mono-Me ether meets the 
criteria for a polymer to be considered low risk under 40 CFR 723.250. 
Based on its conformance to the criteria in this unit, no mammalian 
toxicity is anticipated from dietary, inhalation, or dermal exposure to 
formaldehyde, polymer with 1,3-benzenediol, 2-methyloxirane and 
oxirane, ethers with polyethylene glycol mono-Me ether.

IV. Aggregate Exposures

    For the purposes of assessing potential exposure under this 
exemption, EPA considered that formaldehyde, polymer with 1,3-
benzenediol, 2-methyloxirane and oxirane, ethers with polyethylene 
glycol mono-Me ether could be present in all raw and processed 
agricultural commodities and drinking water, and that non-occupational 
non-dietary exposure was possible. The minimum number average MW of 
formaldehyde, polymer with 1,3-benzenediol, 2-methyloxirane and 
oxirane, ethers with polyethylene glycol mono-Me ether is 1,000,000 
daltons. Generally, a polymer of this size would be poorly absorbed 
through the intact gastrointestinal tract or through intact human skin. 
Since formaldehyde, polymer with 1,3-benzenediol, 2-methyloxirane and 
oxirane, ethers with polyethylene glycol mono-Me ether conforms to the 
criteria that identify a low-risk polymer, there are no concerns for 
risks associated with any potential exposure scenarios that are 
reasonably foreseeable. The Agency has determined that a tolerance is 
not necessary to protect the public health.

V. Cumulative Effects From Substances With a Common Mechanism of 
Toxicity

    Section 408(b)(2)(D)(v) of FFDCA requires that, when considering 
whether to establish, modify, or revoke a tolerance, the Agency 
consider ``available information'' concerning the cumulative effects of 
a particular pesticide's residues and ``other substances that have a 
common mechanism of toxicity.''
    EPA has not found formaldehyde, polymer with 1,3-benzenediol, 2-
methyloxirane and oxirane, ethers with polyethylene glycol mono-Me 
ether to share a common mechanism of toxicity with any other 
substances, and formaldehyde, polymer with 1,3-benzenediol, 2-
methyloxirane and oxirane, ethers with polyethylene glycol mono-Me 
ether does not appear to produce a toxic metabolite produced by other 
substances. For the purposes of this tolerance action, therefore, EPA 
has assumed that formaldehyde, polymer with 1,3-benzenediol, 2-
methyloxirane and oxirane, ethers with polyethylene glycol mono-Me 
ether does not have a common mechanism of toxicity with other 
substances. For information regarding EPA's efforts to determine which 
chemicals have a common mechanism of toxicity and to evaluate the 
cumulative effects of such chemicals, see EPA's Web site at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/cumulative.

VI. Additional Safety Factor for the Protection of Infants and Children

    Section 408(b)(2)(C) of FFDCA provides that EPA shall apply an 
additional tenfold margin of safety for infants and children in the 
case of threshold effects to account for prenatal and postnatal 
toxicity and the completeness of the data base unless EPA concludes 
that a different margin of safety will be safe for infants and 
children. Due to the expected low toxicity of formaldehyde, polymer 
with 1,3-benzenediol, 2-methyloxirane and oxirane, ethers with 
polyethylene glycol mono-Me ether, EPA has not used a safety factor 
analysis to assess the risk. For the same reasons the additional 
tenfold safety factor is unnecessary.

VII. Determination of Safety

    Based on the conformance to the criteria used to identify a low-
risk polymer, EPA concludes that there is a reasonable certainty of no 
harm to the U.S. population, including infants and children, from 
aggregate exposure to residues of formaldehyde, polymer with 1,3-
benzenediol, 2-methyloxirane and oxirane, ethers with polyethylene 
glycol mono-Me ether.

VIII. Other Considerations

A. Analytical Enforcement Methodology

    An analytical method is not required for enforcement purposes since 
the Agency is establishing an exemption from the requirement of a 
tolerance without any numerical limitation.

B. International Residue Limits

    In making its tolerance decisions, EPA seeks to harmonize U.S. 
tolerances with

[[Page 51354]]

international standards whenever possible, consistent with U.S. food 
safety standards and agricultural practices. EPA considers the 
international maximum residue limits (MRLs) established by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission (Codex), as required by FFDCA section 
408(b)(4). The Codex Alimentarius is a joint United Nations Food and 
Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization food standards 
program, and it is recognized as an international food safety 
standards-setting organization in trade agreements to which the United 
States is a party. EPA may establish a tolerance that is different from 
a Codex MRL; however, FFDCA section 408(b)(4) requires that EPA explain 
the reasons for departing from the Codex level.
    The Codex has not established a MRL for formaldehyde, polymer with 
1,3-benzenediol, 2-methyloxirane and oxirane, ethers with polyethylene 
glycol mono-Me ether.

IX. Conclusion

    Accordingly, EPA finds that exempting residues of formaldehyde, 
polymer with 1,3-benzenediol, 2-methyloxirane and oxirane, ethers with 
polyethylene glycol mono-Me ether from the requirement of a tolerance 
will be safe.

X. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews

    This action establishes a tolerance under FFDCA section 408(d) in 
response to a petition submitted to the Agency. The Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) has exempted these types of actions from 
review under Executive Order 12866, entitled ``Regulatory Planning and 
Review'' (58 FR 51735, October 4, 1993). Because this action has been 
exempted from review under Executive Order 12866, this action is not 
subject to Executive Order 13211, entitled ``Actions Concerning 
Regulations That Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or 
Use'' (66 FR 28355, May 22, 2001) or Executive Order 13045, entitled 
``Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety 
Risks'' (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997). This action does not contain any 
information collections subject to OMB approval under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), nor does it require any 
special considerations under Executive Order 12898, entitled ``Federal 
Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and 
Low-Income Populations'' (59 FR 7629, February 16, 1994).
    Since tolerances and exemptions that are established on the basis 
of a petition under FFDCA section 408(d), such as the tolerance in this 
final rule, do not require the issuance of a proposed rule, the 
requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) (5 U.S.C. 601 et 
seq.), do not apply.
    This action directly regulates growers, food processors, food 
handlers, and food retailers, not States or tribes, nor does this 
action alter the relationships or distribution of power and 
responsibilities established by Congress in the preemption provisions 
of FFDCA section 408(n)(4). As such, the Agency has determined that 
this action will not have a substantial direct effect on States or 
tribal governments, on the relationship between the national government 
and the States or tribal governments, or on the distribution of power 
and responsibilities among the various levels of government or between 
the Federal Government and Indian tribes. Thus, the Agency has 
determined that Executive Order 13132, entitled ``Federalism'' (64 FR 
43255, August 10, 1999) and Executive Order 13175, entitled 
``Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments'' (65 FR 
67249, November 9, 2000) do not apply to this action. In addition, this 
action does not impose any enforceable duty or contain any unfunded 
mandate as described under Title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 
(UMRA) (2 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.).
    This action does not involve any technical standards that would 
require Agency consideration of voluntary consensus standards pursuant 
to section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement 
Act (NTTAA) (15 U.S.C. 272 note).

XI. Congressional Review Act

    Pursuant to the Congressional Review Act (5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), 
EPA will submit a report containing this rule and other required 
information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and 
the Comptroller General of the United States prior to publication of 
the rule in the Federal Register. This action is not a ``major rule'' 
as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 180

    Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure, 
Agricultural commodities, Pesticides and pests, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements.

    Dated: October 20, 2017.
Michael Goodis,
Director, Registration Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.

    Therefore, 40 CFR chapter I is amended as follows:

PART 180--[AMENDED]

0
1. The authority citation for part 180 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  21 U.S.C. 321(q), 346a and 371.

0
2. In Sec.  180.960, add alphabetically an entry to the table to read 
as follows:


Sec.  [emsp14]180.960   Polymers; exemptions from the requirement of a 
tolerance.

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------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         Polymer                              CAS No.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                              * * * * * * *
Formaldehyde, polymer with 1,3[hyphen]benzenediol,          1998118-31-2
 2[hyphen]methyloxirane and oxirane, ethers with
 polyethylene glycol mono[hyphen]Me ether, minimum
 number average molecular weight (in amu) 1,000,000.....
 
                              * * * * * * *
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[FR Doc. 2017-24110 Filed 11-3-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


