Household Products Containing Petroleum Distillates and Other Hydrocarbons; Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking; Extension of Comment Period

CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION

16 CFR Part 1700

Household Products Containing Petroleum Distillates and Other

Hydrocarbons; Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking; Extension of

Comment Period

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Extension of comment period for advance notice of proposed

rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: There are child-resistant packaging standards in effect under

the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (``PPPA'') for some products that

contain petroleum distillates or other hydrocarbons. In the Federal

Register of February 26, 1997, the Consumer Product Safety Commission

(``CPSC'' or ``Commission'') published an advance notice of proposed

rulemaking (``ANPR'') requesting comments on whether additional

products containing these substances should be subject to child-

resistant packaging standards. 62 FR 8659.

As requested by the Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Association

(``CSMA''), the Commission is extending the period for receiving

written comments on the ANPR.

DATES: Written comments in response to the ANPR must be received by the

Commission by July 11, 1997.

ADDRESSESS: Comments, preferably in five copies, should be mailed to

the Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission,

Washington, DC 20207-0001, or delivered to the Office of the Secretary,

Consumer Product Safety Commission, Room 502, 4330 East-West Highway,

Bethesda, Maryland 20814; telephone (301) 504-0800. Alternatively,

comments may be filed by telefacsimile to (301) 504-0127 or by e-mail

to [email protected]. Comments should be captioned ``Comments on ANPR

for Petroleum Distillates.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne Barone, Directorate for

Epidemiology and Health Sciences, Consumer Product Safety Commission,

Washington, DC 20207; telephone (301) 504-0477, ext. 1196.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Existing PPPA standards require child-

resistant packaging for some products that contain petroleum

distillates or other hydrocarbons. Aspiration of small amounts of these

chemicals into the lung can cause chemical pneumonia, pulmonary damage,

and death.

In the Federal Register of February 26, 1997, the CPSC published an

ANPR that initiated a rulemaking proceeding to consider whether

additional household products containing petroleum distillates and

other hydrocarbons should be subject to PPPA standards. 62 FR 8659. The

Commission solicited written comments from interested persons

concerning these risks, the regulatory alternatives discussed in the

ANPR, other possible means to address the risks, and the economic

impacts of the various regulatory alternatives. The Commission provided

for a 75-day comment period, which expires May 12, 1997.

CSMA requested a 60-day extension of the comment period, which it

stated was needed due to the breadth of issues involved. CSMA also

stated that additional time was needed to complete the processing of

its request for CPSC documents.

CSMA represents many companies that manufacture products that

contain petroleum distillates or other hydrocarbons. Therefore, the

information that they can supply concerning these issues is important

to the rulemaking. Accordingly, the Commission granted its request for

an extension of the comment period, and extends the period for

submission of written comments to July 11, 1997.

Dated: April 22, 1997.

Sadye E. Dunn,

Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.

[FR Doc. 97-10821 Filed 4-25-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6355-01-P