Biphenyl

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.

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

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 Toxicological Review of Biphenyl (External Review Draft) (PDF)  (184  pp, 1.6 MB, about PDF)
• Charge to External Peer Reviewers (PDF)  (3  pp, 21.5 KB, about PDF)
• Consolidated Comments from the External Peer Review (Final) (PDF)  (52  pp, 394.5 KB, about PDF)

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Document Related Link(s)

• IRIS Toxicological Review of Biphenyl (Interagency Science Consultation Draft)

Federal Register Notices

• FR Notice: Mar 2, 2012
• FR Notice: Sep 30, 2011