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Pentachlorophenol and its Use as a Wood Preservative
Current as of April 2008
EPA is reassessing pentachlorophenol (PCP) as part of its reregistration program for older pesticides. Federal law directs EPA to periodically re-evaluate older pesticides to ensure that they continue to meet current safety standards. The Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for pentachlorophenol is scheduled for September 30, 2008. We have updated this fact sheet to reflect recent changes to the status of the registration for pentachlorophenol.
Pentachlorophenol was one of the most widely used biocides in the U.S. before regulatory actions to cancel and restrict certain non wood-preservative uses of pentachlorophenol in 1987. Pentachlorophenol is a standardized oil-borne preservative listed in the AWPA Book of Standards under P8, Section 1. It now has no registered residential uses.
The production of pentachlorophenol for wood preserving began on an experimental basis in the 1930s. In 1947 nearly 3,200 metric tons of pentachlorophenol was reported to have been used in the U.S. by the commercial wood preserving industry. Before the 1987 Federal Register Notice that canceled and restricted certain non-wood uses, pentachlorophenol was registered for use as a herbicide, defoliant, mossicide, and as a disinfectant. As of 2002, approximately 11 million pounds of pentachlorophenol were produced.
Timeline for Reregistration/Risk Assessment
- April 16, 2008 - FR Notice of Availability Pentachlorophenol Revised Risk Assessments; Notice of Availability and Solicitation of Risk Reduction Options
- Preliminary Risk Assessment documents available in Regulations.gov Docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2004-0402
Questions & Answers
- Preliminary Risk Assessment for Pentachlorophenol, December 1, 2004.
Pentachlorophenol Regulatory Status:
- EPA's Docket Number OPP 2004-0402
- Federal Register: June 22, 2005 (70 FR 36151-36152), This notice announces that cancellation orders were signed on February 17, 2005, in response to the use terminations and cancellations voluntarily requested by the registrants of certain wood preservative products containing pentachlorophenol.
- Federal Register: March 30, 2005 (70 FR 16276-16278), This notice announces the availability of documents that were developed as part of EPA's six-phase Public Participation Reregistration Process for Pentachlorophenol. This notice includes Hexachlorobenzene and Dioxin Preliminary Risk Assessments chapters (the Pentachlorophenol Chapters were released earlier).
- Federal Register: January 6, 2005 (70 FR 1246-1248), Notice of Receipt of Requests to Amend to Terminate Certain Uses of Other Pentachlorophenol Wood Preservative Products. This opened the 30-day public comment period.
- Federal Register: November 30, 2004 (69 FR 69600-69603), Notice of Availability of the Preliminary Risk Assessment for Pentachlorophenol (PCP).