In September 2017, EPA released the draft IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP) for Ethylbenzene for public review and comment. An IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP) communicates to the public the plan for assessing each individual chemical and includes summary information on the IRIS Program’s scoping and initial problem formulation; objectives and specific aims for the assessment; the PECO (Populations, Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes) criteria that outlines the evidence considered most pertinent to the assessment; and identification of key areas of scientific complexity. The PECO provides the framework for developing literature search strategies and inclusion/exclusion criteria, particularly with respect to evidence stream (i.e., human, animal, mechanistic), exposure measures and outcome measures.

U.S. EPA. IRIS Assessment Plan for Ethylbenzene (Scoping and Problem Formulation Materials). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/635/R-17/332, 2017.

Paul Reinhart,  Ph:  919-541-1456,  Email: reinhart.paul@epa.gov

George M. Woodall,  Ph:  919-541-3896,  Email: woodall.george@epa.gov

Ethylbenzene, also known as phenylethane, is an aromatic hydrocarbon that is present in crude petroleum and gasoline. In addition, it is used in industry primarily as a chemical intermediate in the production of styrene monomer. Ethylbenzene has also been used as an industrial solvent and as a diluent in the paint industry as well as in the manufacture of synthetic rubber, acetophenone, and cellulose acetate. Ethylbenzene is present in naphtha, asphalt, and as an impurity in xylene solvents.

Date	Description
Sep 2017	EPA released the IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP) for Ethylbenzene for public comment and review. [Federal Register Notice Sep 18, 2017]

Following the SAB public meeting, the IRIS Program will use the IAP to inform the subsequent development of chemical-specific systematic review protocols.

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 Assessment Plan for Ethylbenzene (PDF)  (17 pp, 354 KB, about PDF)
• Memorandum: SAB Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee Briefing on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Evolution of Assessment Practices (PDF)  (4 pp, 181 KB, about PDF)

• SAB Activity Page on the Briefing By NCEA on Development of IRIS Draft Assessments

• HERO Project Page: Ethylbenzene (Sep 2017)

• FR Notice: Sep 18, 2017

Comments on the assessment may be submitted and reviewed using the Docket ID EPA-HQ-ORD-2014-0526