IRIS Toxicological Review of Biphenyl (Interagency Science Discussion Draft)
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Abstract
EPA is releasing the draft report, Toxicological Review of Biphenyl, that was distributed to other federal agencies and the Executive Office of the President for comment during Interagency Science Discussion (IASD) (Step 6b) of the IRIS assessment development process. Interagency comments received and EPA’s response are provided below.
Biphenyl is an organic compound that forms colorless crystals. It occurs naturally in coal tar, crude oil, and natural gas. Biphenyl was once used in the production of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) before they were banned in the late 1970s. It is no longer used as an antimicrobial and a fungicide in the U.S., but it is still used as a fungistat in other countries, most commonly in the packaging of citrus fruits. Today, biphenyl is mainly used in the production of pesticides, as a dye carrier in polyester dyeing, and as a component of heat transfer fluids, which are used for industrial processing applications. Biphenyl is found at multiple Superfund sites and other hazardous waste sites. It is on the list of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) and is classified as one of the High Production Volume (HPV) chemicals.
Biphenyl is an organic compound that forms colorless crystals. It occurs naturally in coal tar, crude oil, and natural gas. Biphenyl was once used in the production of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) before they were banned in the late 1970s. It is no longer used as an antimicrobial and a fungicide in the U.S., but it is still used as a fungistat in other countries, most commonly in the packaging of citrus fruits. Today, biphenyl is mainly used in the production of pesticides, as a dye carrier in polyester dyeing, and as a component of heat transfer fluids, which are used for industrial processing applications. Biphenyl is found at multiple Superfund sites and other hazardous waste sites. It is on the list of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) and is classified as one of the High Production Volume (HPV) chemicals.
Impact/Purpose
EPA is undertaking a new health assessment for biphenyl for the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). The outcome of this project will be a Toxicological Review and IRIS and IRIS Summary of biohenyl that will be entered on the IRIS database. IRIS is an EPA database containing Agency scientific positions on potential adverse human health effects that may result from chronic (or lifetime) exposure to chemicals in the environment. IRIS contains chemical-specific summaries of qualitative and quantitative health information to evaluate potential public health risks associated with exposure assessment information to evaluate potential public health risks associated with environmental contaminants. The IRIS database is relied on for the development of risk assessments sites-specific environmental decisions, and rule making.
Status
This assessment has been loaded into the IRIS Website and Database.
Citation
U.S. EPA. IRIS Toxicological Review of Biphenyl (Interagency Science Discussion Draft). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/635/R-11/005D, 2013.
History/Chronology
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| Aug 1989 | The RfD for Biphenyl was posted to the IRIS Database. |
| Mar 1991 | The cancer assessment for Biphenyl was posted to the IRIS database. |
| Jul 2011 | EPA hosted an interagency science consultation on the review of the draft Toxicological Review of Biphenyl. |
| Sep 2011 | EPA released the external review draft of the biphenyl assessment for public review and comment. [Federal Register Notice Sep 30, 2011] |
| Apr 2012 | The external peer review workshop was held. |
| Jun 2012 | EPA released the comments from the public comment period and external peer review workshop. |
| Apr 2013 | EPA hosted an interagency science discussion on the review of the draft Toxicological Review of Biphenyl and IRIS Summary for Biphenyl. |
| Aug 2013 | EPA released the final IRIS Toxicological Review of Biphenyl and IRIS Summary for Biphenyl, along with the interagency science discussion draft, interagency comments, and EPA's response to interagency comments. |
This download(s) is distributed solely for the purpose of pre-dissemination peer review under applicable information quality guidelines. It has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency determination or policy.
- IRIS Toxicological Review of Biphenyl (Interagency Science Discussion Draft) (April 2013) (PDF) (213 pp, 2 MB, about PDF)
- IRIS Summary for Biphenyl (Interagency Science Discussion Draft) (April 2013) (PDF) (25 pp, 180 KB, about PDF)
- EPA’s Response to Major Interagency Science Discussion Comments (PDF) (4 pp, 61 KB, about PDF)
- 1. CEQ IASD comments on biphenyl (PDF) (1 pp, 43 KB, about PDF)
- 2. OMB and OSTP IASD comments on biphenyl (PDF) (2 pp, 46 KB, about PDF)
Related Link(s)
- IRIS Toxicological Review of Biphenyl (Aug. 2013) (PDF) (225 pp, 2 MB, about PDF)
- IRIS Summary for Biphenyl (Aug 2013) (PDF) (12 pp, 111 KB, about PDF)
- IRIS Toxicological Review of Biphenyl (External Review Draft) (September 2011)
- IRIS Toxicological Review of Biphenyl (Interagency Science Consultation Draft)