Document Vr08r8KmvnRZYqzLRObZVdVZ

Sa (4 IN] 3 etm' AR226- 1078 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460 5 628 Dear Interested Party: MAR 28 2002 PRETVEoNTnIOoNr,SrUiPBcESeSToTArNCCEEESSMO Attached is a copy in PDF file format (389KB)ofthe DraftHazard Assessment Of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) And Its Salts, prepared by the Risk Assessment Divisionof the EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics. The Annex to the assessment, which contains. robust summariesof the studies reviewed in the assessment, is not attached becauseof ts very large size (78SKB), but is available upon request as a separate fle. Both files have been placed in the PFOA section of the publicly accessible Administrative Record file AR226: PFOS, PFOA, `Telomers, and Related Chemicals. This preliminary assessment reviews the studies that were available asof July 2001, but does not incorporate any information received by the Agency after that date. The cut-offdate was adopted to allow the releaseofthis preliminary assessment while ~~ 2 additional studies were still underway. The assessment specifically recognizes that additional 5 data, particularly including the final report on a two-generation reproductive study in rats, are still 1 <> under development. As the Agency receives further study information, it will be included in ro AR226 and in the Agency's review process. Go Based on the existing data, PFOA may present some concerns similar to those raised by ~~ = = perfluorooctyl sulfonates (PFOS). Like PFO, it is persistent in the environment and does not =~ appear to degrade. PFOA also appears to havae half-life in humansof between 1 and 3.5 years, indicating that it may bioaccumulate in humans in the samemanner as PFOS does, remaining in enterohepatic circulation. PFOA has been found in human blood samples, although at levels lower than PFOS. PFOA is carcinogenic in animals. Reproductive study data on PFOA comparable to the studies that raised the initial concerns on PFOS are not yet available, although the final report on the two-generation reproductive study in rats should be completed in the first haofl20f02 and will be included in AR226 as soon as it is submited to the Agency. `The Agency will continue to review data on PFOA as they are received. If you have any questions conceming the Assessment, please contact Jennifer Seed by phone at 202-564-7634, or by email at seed jennifer@epa.gov. If you wish to receive a copy of the Annes, orif you have any difficulties opening the files, please contact Mary Dominiak by phone at 202-564-8104, by fax at 202-564-4775, or by email at dominiak mary@epa.gov. Sincerely, SONTAIN NO CRI Cloke fb de Charles M. Auer, Director Chemical Control Division 1 Raccodacyci ried wih Vntoarelt AsOd1reBsase(URiLk)1 Rpeciyoand g09a0t.(00iv m 3%Posnercoir) See AR226-1079 to review the attachment