[Federal Register: June 6, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 109)]
[Notices]
[Page 33956-33957]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06jn03-81]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of
Authority
Part C (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) of the
Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority of
the Department of Health and Human Services (45 FR 67772-76, dated
October 14, 1980, and corrected at 45 FR 69296, October 20, 1980, as
amended most recently at 68 FR 7118-7123, dated February 12, 2003) is
amended to reorganize the National Center for Health Statistics.
Section C-B, Organization and Functions, is hereby amended as
follows:
Delete in its entirety the functional statement for the Division of
Environmental Health Laboratory Sciences and insert the following:
Division of Laboratory Sciences (HCN8). (1) Develops and maintains
a national laboratory response capability for applying state-of-the-art
biomonitoring technology to improve the detection, prevention, and
public health management of chemical terrorism emergencies and
emergencies resulting from human exposure to toxic chemicals; (2)
develops and applies biomonitoring methods for environmental chemicals
that identify chemicals to which people are exposed and measures
individual exposure levels; (3) applies biomonitoring measurements to
determine the exposure of the general U.S. population to selected
environmental chemicals, to assess the exposure of special population
groups that are known or suspected to be at high-risk of excessive
exposure, and study to the relationship between level of exposure and
adverse health effects; (4) provides technical assistance, technology
transfer, reference laboratory measurements, laboratory standardization
programs, and external quality assurance to State and local public
health laboratories and health officials; Federal agencies;
international organizations; academic, international, and private
laboratories; and professional organizations to improve laboratory
science and laboratory capacity in the fields of environmental health
and selected chronic diseases; (5) develops and validates advanced
laboratory technology to assess nutritional and genetic risk factors
for environmental disease and selected chronic diseases; and (6)
collaborates with other CDC organizations; Federal, State, and local
agencies; and private and professional organizations to investigate new
or emerging health problems known to potentially related to exposure to
environmental chemicals.
Clinical Chemistry Branch (HCN85). (1) Provides statistical
consultation in areas of research, study design, analysis, reporting,
and quality control development for laboratory investigations and
environmental health studies to NCEH staff, other Federal agencies,
State and local public health departments, and other national and
international organizations; (2) provides system analysis, computer
programming and interfacing, technical support, and application of
computerization and other advanced technology to the resolution of
laboratory problems and data analysis, management, reporting, and
presentation; (3) maintains reference methods for epidemiologic studies
and clinical trials which provide the basis for public health
strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular
disease. In this capacity, serves as the WHO Collaborating Center for
Reference and Research in Blood Lipids; (4) develops, evaluates, and
standardizes analytical methods for the measurement of biochemical
markers for assessing disease status and risk for selected chronic
diseases; (5) designs and implements collaborative programs with
appropriate agencies or professional groups to effect technology
transfer, improvement of proficiency and quality, and the
standardization of analytical performance among health laboratories
involved in clinical and epidemiologic investigations; (6) provides
technical assistance and guidance to governmental agencies,
professional societies, and the general clinical laboratory community
on pre-analytical issues, measurement problems, study design, and
reference and quality control material preparation, storage, and
handling; and (7) develops, prepares, and distributes purified and
biological reference materials used for standardization programs,
quality control assessment, and calibration of analytical methods in
research.
Emergency Response and Air Toxicants Branch (HCN88). (1) Develops
and maintains analytical methods to measure, in human specimens, toxic
substances that are known or potential agents for use in chemical
terrorism; (2) applies these measurements in response to chemical
terrorism emergencies and, as part of a coordinated Federal response,
deploys a rapid response laboratory team to assist in obtaining
[[Page 33957]]
human specimens for analysis; (3) transfers technology, provides
training, and provides technical assistance for measurement of chemical
agents in human specimens to a network of laboratories that provide
additional capacity for responding to chemical terrorism; (4) provides
review and expert consultation to Federal, state, local and
international governments and health organizations on assessing and
interpreting biomonitoring measurements of chemical agents likely to be
used in terrorism; (5) for toxic substances of public health concern
but unlikely to be involved in chemical terrorism, transfers
biomonitoring technology, provides biomonitoring training, and provides
technical assistance in biomonitoring to state laboratories, including
methods for analyzing both inorganic and organic toxic substances in
human specimens; (6) develops and maintains analytical methods to
measure organic toxic substances that contaminate air (air toxicants)
in human specimens and applies these analytical methods to assess human
exposures to these chemicals for many purposes, including surveillance
of levels in the population, epidemiological studies, and emergency
response investigations; and (7) develops and maintains analytical
methods to assess human exposure to tobacco smoke and its chemical
constituents and applies these methods to epidemiologic studies of
tobacco smoke exposure and related disease.
Inorganic Toxicants and Nutrition Branch (HCN84). (1) Develops and
maintains analytical methods to measure trace-essential and toxic
elements in human specimens; (2) applies these analytical methods to
assess human exposures to these chemicals for many purposes, including
surveillance of levels in the population, epidemiological studies, and
emergency response investigations; (3) provides training, guidance, and
assistance to State and local governments, and domestic and
international laboratories in the development, maintenance and
technology transfer of analytical capability for measurement of trace-
essential and toxic elements in specimens from humans, animals, and the
environment; (4) develops and maintains analytical capability and
expertise in the measurement and interpretation of physiologic levels
of micronutrients such as the vitamins, essential elements, and other
dietary substances or their metabolites (as biomarkers); (5) provides
technical assistance to national, state, international and local
investigations, surveys, and clinical studies of the nutritional
status, prevalence, risk factors, and treatment of chronic diseases;
and (6) develops, maintains, and distributes, as appropriate,
standards, reference materials, protocols, and standardization programs
to assist state, international and other laboratories in the transfer
of laboratory technology and in establishing and maintaining quality
control and calibration of analytical methods for essential and toxic
elements, nutrients, and markers of physiologic damage.
Molecular Biology Branch (HCN87). (1) Collaborates in the
development and implementation of large, population-based, genetic
repositories comprising specimens from nationally representative
samples of healthy people, patients, unaffected family members, or
unrelated control subjects; (2) develops and evaluates laboratory
methods in genetics and develops, evaluates, and standardizes auto-
antibody measurements; (3) uses population-based and disease-based
repositories to study genetic risk factors for disease and gene-
environment interactions; (4) provides advice and technical assistance
to state and local health departments, other Federal agencies, national
and international organizations, and academic centers on laboratory
measurements in genetics; and (5) develops, maintains, and distributes
appropriate standards, reference materials, and protocols for diabetes
auto-antibody measurement.
Newborn Screening Branch (HCN82). (1) Provides technical
consultation and assistance concerning quality assurance and procedural
issues to State Public Health laboratories, international laboratories,
and manufacturers of diagnostic products involved in performing newborn
screening tests; (2) develops and maintains analytical methods to
measure substances in dried-blood spots (DBSs), and produces certified
DBS quality control and reference materials for newborn screening
tests; (3) maintains a DBS proficiency testing program for newborn
screening programs worldwide for inborn errors of metabolism,
hemoglobinopathies, and other newborn disorders; (4) provides technical
and administrative support to public health laboratory projects for
early detection of autoimmune, immuno-proliferative, and immuno-
deficiency diseases; and (5) evaluates and refines emerging laboratory
methods for micro- and nano-detection to public health applications and
population-based screening for these immune disorders.
Organic Analytical Toxicology Branch (HCN86). (1) Develops and
maintains analytical methods to measure selected synthetic and
naturally occurring organic chemicals, their metabolites, and reaction
products (adducts) in human specimens; (2) applies these analytical
methods to assess human exposures to these chemicals for many purposes,
including surveillance of levels in the population, epidemiological
studies, and emergency response investigations; (3) aids in
transferring these methods within Division laboratories and to state,
local and other public health laboratories; (4) develops and prepares
various matrix-based quality control materials for use in such
analyses; and (5) provides review, expert consultation, and original
scientific publications/information to Federal, state, local, and
international governments and health organizations on topics related to
human exposure assessment, organic analytical methodology, high
technology analytical instrumentation, preparation and analysis of
biological specimens, quality control procedures, laboratory safety,
and medical interpretation of laboratory findings.
Dated: May 15, 2003.
William H. Gimson,
Chief Operating Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC).
[FR Doc. 03-14223 Filed 6-5-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-18-M