IRIS

Biphenyl

CASRN 92-52-4

IRIS Toxicological Review of Biphenyl (External Review Draft) (September 2011)

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Overview

EPA is conducting a peer review of the scientific basis supporting the human health hazard and dose-response assessment of biphenyl that will appear in the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database.

Citation

U.S. EPA. IRIS Toxicological Review of Biphenyl (External Review Draft) (September 2011). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/635/R-11/005A, 2011.

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Background

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.

History/Chronology

Date Description
01-Aug 1989The RfD for 1,1-biphenyl was posted to the IRIS Database.
02-Mar 1991The cancer assessment for 1,1-biphenyl was posted to the IRIS database.
03-Jul 2011EPA hosted an interagency science consultation on the review of the draft Toxicological Review of Biphenyl.
04-Sep 2011EPA released the external review draft of the biphenyl assessment for public review and comment. [Federal Register Notice Sep 30, 2011]
05-Apr 2012The external peer review workshop was held.
07-Apr 2013EPA hosted an interagency science discussion on the review of the draft Toxicological Review of Biphenyl.
08-Aug 2013EPA released the final report in the IRIS Database.


Status

Following external peer review and public comment, the assessment will be revised taking into consideration the comments received. It will then undergo a final internal review by EPA and other federal agencies and White House offices. After completing the review it will be posted to the IRIS database.


Additional Information

Comments on the assessment may be submitted and reviewed using the e-Government Regulations.gov Web site. From the site, select “Environmental Protection Agency” and the keyword “EPA-HQ-ORD-2011-0739 (for the docket ID) to comment on this report.

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Download(s)

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.

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