Evaluation of the Carcinogenicity of Ethylene Oxide (2006 External Review Draft)
Notice - This site contains archived material(s)
Archive disclaimer
Archive
disclaimer
Archived files are provided for reference
purposes only. These files are no longer maintained by the Agency and may be outdated. For
current EPA information, go to www.epa.gov. It is EPA's policy to
support reasonable accommodation to persons with disabilities, pursuant to the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 791. If you need assistance with accessing archived files, contact
EPA's Reasonable Accommodations
or submit a request using the Contact Us form.
Abstract
EPA conducted a peer review and public comment of the scientific basis supporting the human health hazard and dose-response assessment of ethylene oxide (cancer) that when finalized will appear on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database.
Ethylene Oxide is a gas at room temperature used in chemical manufacturing and as a sterilizing agent for medical equipment and a fumigating agent for spices. Human exposure occurs in occupations involving contact with the gas in production facilities and hospitals that sterilize medical equipment. EtO can also be inhaled by residents living near production or sterilizing/fumigating facilities.
Ethylene Oxide is a gas at room temperature used in chemical manufacturing and as a sterilizing agent for medical equipment and a fumigating agent for spices. Human exposure occurs in occupations involving contact with the gas in production facilities and hospitals that sterilize medical equipment. EtO can also be inhaled by residents living near production or sterilizing/fumigating facilities.
Impact/Purpose
EPA is announcing a 30-day public comment period for this document. The release of this draft document is solely for the purpose of seeking public comment and for review by the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) via a meeting to be held later in 2006. The time and place of the SAB meeting will be announced in a separate Federal Register notice. This document has not been formally disseminated by EPA and does not represent, and should not be construed to represent, any Agency policy or determination. EPA will consider any public comments submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in the Notice of Public Comment Period when revising this draft document.
Status
Following review by the Science Advisory Board and consideration of public comments received, the Agency will finalize the EtO carcinogenicity document and place it in EPA’s IRIS data base.
Citation
U.S. EPA. Evaluation of the Carcinogenicity of Ethylene Oxide (2006 External Review Draft). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/635/R-06/003, 2006.
History/Chronology
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| Apr 1984 | EPA released the Health Assessment Document for Ethylene Oxide (External Review Draft)(EPA-600/8-84/009A). |
| Jun 1985 | EPA published the Health Assessment Document for Ethylene Oxide (Final). |
| Dec 1998 | EPA begins work on new assessment of carcinogenicity of EtO. |
| Mar 2006 | Completion of internal EPA review of draft assessment of carcinogenicity of EtO. |
| Aug 2006 | Completion of external Federal agencies review of EPA's draft assessment of carcinogenicity of EtO. |
| Sep 2006 | EPA released the report and announced a 30-day public comment period in a September 22 Federal Register Notice. |
| Oct 2006 | EPA announced an extension from 30-day to 60-day public comment period in an October 12, 2006 Federal Register Notice. |
| Oct 2006 | There was a correction made to the document, as described in the October 20, 2006 Federal Register Notice. |
| Nov 2006 | EPA released the NCEA EtO Peer Review Charges and Memo to the SAB for their review (see downloads). |
Additional Information
The release of this draft document is solely for the purpose of seeking public comment and for review by the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) via a meeting to be held later in 2006. The time and place of the SAB meeting will be announced in a separate Federal Register notice. This document has not been formally disseminated by EPA and does not represent, and should not be construed to represent, any Agency policy or determination.
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.
- Evaluation of the Carcinogenicity of Ethylene Oxide (PDF) (164 pp, 3 MB, about PDF)
- NCEA Proposed Draft Charge to the External Peer Review (PDF) (5 pp, 209 KB, about PDF)
- MEMO TO SAB REQUESTING THE DOCUMENT REVIEW (PDF) (2 pp, 29 KB, about PDF)
- SAB Review of the IRIS Assessment for the Ethylene Oxide Carcinogenicity Assessment Activities Page
- Science Advisory Board Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Review Panel Draft Report -- August 30 2007
Related Link(s)
- Review of Office of Research and Development 's (ORD) Draft Assessment Entitled, "Evaluation of the Carcinogenicity of Ethylene Oxide" (Final Report)
- Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Draft SAB Report for Review at the May 29 2007 Public Teleconference (May 15 2007 Draft)
- ATSDR: TOXICOLOGICAL PROFILE FOR ETHYLENE OXIDE (PDF) (122 pp, 1 KB, about PDF)