US EPA

EPA is releasing the draft report, Toxicological Review of Chloroprene, that was distributed to Federal agencies and White House Offices for comment during the Science Discussion step of the IRIS Assessment Development Process. Comments received from other Federal agencies and White House Offices are provided below with external peer review panel comments.

The draft Toxicological Review of chloroprene provides scientific support and rationale for the hazard and dose-response assessment pertaining to chronic exposure to chloroprene. Chloroprene (C4H5Cl) is a volatile, flammable liquid used primarily in the manufacture of polychloroprene or neoprene rubber. The latter is used to make diverse products, such as tires, wire coatings, and tubing. Human health risk concerns for chloroprene are primarily related to exposures via effluent and emissions from facilities that use chloroprene to produce polychloroprene elastomers or transport the product, although these exposure concerns have not been well characterized.

This assessment contains the derivation of a chronic inhalation reference concentration (RfC) and chronic cancer inhalation unit risk.

Chloroprene (CASRN 126-99-8) or 2-chloro-1,3-butadiene is a volatile liquid monomer used exclusively in the manufacture of polychloroprene (neoprene) elastomer.

Now that the interagency review draft has been completed and finalized, this assessment has been loaded into the IRIS Web site and Database.

U.S. EPA. IRIS Toxicological Review of Chloroprene (Interagency Science Discussion Draft) . U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/635/R-09/010D, 2010.