Chemicals Evaluated for Carcinogenic Potential
- New EPA List
A number of years ago the EPA had on it's website a listing of
chemicals and their rating for potential human carcinogenicity. That list
was removed several years ago and was subsequently said to be available
only as paper copy. The EPA revised it's human carcinogenicity
classification scheme and produced a fourth iteration of a categorization
system for ranking the human carcinogenic potential of chemicals (1999).
Last month (July 2004) EPA once again produced a public listing of
pesticide active ingredients with their rating in terms of their perceived
ability to cause cancer in humans. It is now available as a PDF on the web
(URL below)
EPA's 22 page document briefly discusses the history of EPA's efforts in
determining potential carcinogenicity of pesticides and explains it's
"new" (1999) classification system. It provides it's older systems (1976;
1986 - this one used letters and had five main categories; 1996 - this one
had only three categories) with descriptors as a reference but notes that
none are comparable. In it's newer (1999) system pesticide active
ingredients, including those that are registered, submitted for
registration, reregistration, or are in special review, are all classified
(see the document for explanation of each category). The new categories
are:
- Not likely to be carcinogenic to humans
- Data are inadequate for an assessment of human carcinogenic potential
- Suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity, but not sufficient to assess
human carcinogenic potential
- Likely to be carcinogenic to humans
- Carcinogenic to humans
The first (barely) three pages of this document are a brief explanation /
background of EPA's efforts at determining carcinogenicity in pesticides.
Pages 4-6 are descriptors and definitions of the several classification
systems EPA has used in reviewing pesticides. The list encompasses pages
7-21 of the document. Page 22 is two footnotes.
What makes this listing very complicated and somewhat frustrating is that
the EPA uses several of it's systems - that is, the new (1999) system AND
the 1986 and 1996 systems - in this one list. EPA leaves us to view the
list noting (page 3) that the various systems are not comparable and that
"The designation for any substance must be considered in the context of
the system in which it was reviewed."
To help with the list,
- column one is the chemical name of the pesticide active ingredient [ref:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/registering/index.htm ].
- The second column is it's CAS No. This is a numerical identifier for the
chemical using the CAS chemical indentification system [ref: http://www.cas.org/EO/regsys.html
].
- The third column, "PC Code" is the EPA Pesticide Chemical Code, their
own substance identifier system [ref: http://www.epa.gov/opppmsd1/foia/reviews/clearedPCcode01.htm
]
- Column four is the 'Cancer Classification', again, using multiple EPA
classification schemes.
- The last, fifth, column is the EPA report that determined the
carcinogenicity of the substance. OPP is the EPA Office of Pesticide
Programs.
- Two footnotes help with what group reviewed the chemicals and with
acronyms in the list.
EPA notes that it intends to keep the list updated.
Chemicals Evaluated for Carcinogenic Potential
http://www.pestmanagement.rutgers.edu/NJinPAS/postings/EPAcancerevalchem704.pdf |
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