[Federal Register: March 4, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 42)]
[Notices]
[Page 10240-10241]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04mr03-73]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7457-6]
EPA Science Advisory Board, Environmental Health Committee,
Notification of an Upcoming Meeting and Request for Information on the
Proposed Panel for the Review of the Supplemental Guidance for
Assessing Cancer Susceptibility From Early-life Exposure to Carcinogens
(SGACS)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Request for Information on the Panel and Notification of an
Upcoming Meeting.
DATES: April 24, 2003--Teleconference meeting of the Environmental
Health Committee Submissions concerning the proposed panel are due by
March 18, 2003.
ADDRESSES: U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board (1400A), Suite 6450P EPA,
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460-0001 (zip code for
FedEx--20004).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Suhair Shallal, Designated Federal
Officer, by telephone/voice mail at (202) 564-4566, by fax at (202)
501-0582; or via e-mail at shallal.suhair@epa.gov. General information
concerning the EPA Science Advisory Board can be found on the EPA SAB
Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.
Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background on the EPA Science Advisory Board: The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) Science Advisory Board
(SAB) is providing notification of an upcoming meeting and requesting
information on the proposed SCAGS review panel.
The SAB was established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to provide independent
scientific and technical advice, consultation, and recommendations to
the EPA Administrator on the technical basis for Agency positions and
regulations. This panel will comply with the provisions of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and all appropriate SAB procedural
policies. Those selected to serve on the SCAGS review panel will review
the draft materials identified in this notice and respond to the
appropriate charge questions. Upon completion, the panel's report will
be submitted to the SAB executive committee for final approval.
2. Background on this advisory activity: Pursuant to a request by
EPA's Office of Research and Development, the SAB will conduct a peer
review of the draft document entitled Supplemental Guidance for
Assessing Cancer Susceptibility from Early-Life Exposure to
Carcinogens. In a separate FR Notice, EPA announced the availability
of, and the opportunity to comment on the above mentioned document.
The SAB was selected to lead this review due to its experience in
reviewing various documents associated with the EPA's Draft Cancer
Guidelines and the relevance of the expertise of its members to this
review. In 1996, EPA published for public comment proposed revisions to
EPA's 1986 Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment (61 FR 17960,
April 23, 1996). Since the 1996 proposal, EPA's Science Advisory Board
(SAB) has conducted three scientific peer reviews. In February 1997,
the Science Advisory Board's Environmental Health Committee (SAB EHC)
was asked to review the proposed revisions to the Agency's first cancer
guidelines issued in 1986 (http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ehc9710.pdf). In
guidelines issued in 1986 (http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ehc9710.pdf). In
January 1999, the EHC met again to consider selected sections of the
draft Guidelines that were revised to address recommendations from the
public and the earlier SAB review (1997) of the Guideline (http://
www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec15.pdf
). A third meeting took place in July 1999
www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec15.pdf). A third meeting took place in July 1999
to provide advice and comment to the EPA on issues related to applying
the provisions of EPA's proposed revised Cancer Risk Assessment
Guidelines to children (http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec0016.pdf).
Guidelines to children (http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec0016.pdf).
Availability of the Meeting Materials--The materials for this
review are available from the Office of Research and Development's
National Center for Environmental Assessment, Risk Assessment Forum Web
site, located at: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/raf/index.cfm. For
questions and information concerning the materials, please contact Dr.
William P. Wood, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave, NW., Washington, DC 20460; tel. (202) 564-3361, or e-
mail: risk.forum@epa.gov.
3. Meeting via Teleconference of the Environmental Health
Committee--April 24, 2003: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee
Act, Public Law 92-463, notice is hereby given that the Environmental
Health Committee of the U.S. EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) will meet
on Thursday, April 24, 2003 via teleconference at 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time (EST) to begin the review of the EPA's Office of Research
and Development draft document entitled, Supplemental Guidance for
Assessing Cancer Susceptibility From Early-Life Exposure to Carcinogens
(SGACS). This document provides a possible approach for assessing
cancer susceptibility from early-life exposure to carcinogens. The
purpose of the teleconference is: (a) To discuss the charge and the
adequacy of the review materials provided to the SGACS Review Panel;
(b) to clarify any questions and issues relating to the charge and the
review materials; (c) to discuss specific charge assignments to the
SGACS Review Panelists; and (d) to clarify specific points of interest
raised by the Panelists in preparation for the face-to-face meeting.
All times noted are Eastern Standard Time. The meeting is open to the
public, however, seating is limited and available on a first come
basis. Important Notice: Documents that are the subject of SAB reviews
or consultations are normally available from the originating EPA office
and are not available from the SAB Office--information concerning
availability of documents generated by the SAB and the relevant Program
Office is included above.
The meeting will begin on April 24, 2003 at 3 p.m. EST and adjourn
no later than 5 p.m. EST that day. The meeting will be held at EPA
Headquarters, Washington, DC, Ariel Rios North, room 6013. For further
information concerning this meeting, please contact the individuals
listed at the beginning of this Federal Register notice. A copy of the
draft agenda for the meeting will be posted on the SAB Web site
(www.epa.gov/sab) (under the AGENDAS subheading) approximately 10 days
before the meeting. Information concerning a subsequent face to face
meeting will be forthcoming in a separate Federal Register notice.
Providing Oral or Written Comments at SAB Meetings--It is the
policy of the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) to accept written public
comments of any
[[Page 10241]]
length, and to accommodate oral public comments whenever possible. The
EPA SAB expects that public statements presented at its meetings will
not be repetitive of previously submitted oral or written statements.
Oral Comments: In general, each individual or group requesting an oral
presentation at a face-to-face meeting will be limited to a total time
of ten minutes (unless otherwise indicated). For teleconference
meetings, opportunities for oral comment will usually be limited to no
more than three minutes per speaker and no more than fifteen minutes
total. Interested parties should contact the DFO at least one week
prior to the meeting in order to be placed on the public speaker list
for the meeting. Speakers may attend the meeting and provide comment up
to the meeting time. Speakers should bring at least 35 copies of their
comments and presentation slides for distribution to the reviewers and
public at the meeting. Written Comments: Although the SAB accepts
written comments until the date of the meeting (unless otherwise
stated), written comments should be received in the SAB Staff Office at
least one week prior to the meeting date so that the comments may be
made available to the review panel for their consideration. Comments
should be supplied to the DFO at the address/contact information noted
below in the following formats: one hard copy with original signature,
and one electronic copy via e-mail (acceptable file format: Adobe
Acrobat, WordPerfect, Word, or Rich Text files (in IBM-PC/Windows 95/98
format). Those providing written comments and who attend the meeting
are also asked to bring 35 copies of their comments for public
distribution. Should comment be provided at the meeting and not in
advance of the meeting, they should be in-hand to the DFO up to and
immediately following the meeting. The SAB allows a grace period of 48
hours after adjournment of the public meeting to provide written
comments supporting any verbal comments stated at the public meeting to
be made a part of the public record.
Meeting Access--Individuals requiring special accommodation at this
meeting, including wheelchair access to the conference room, should
contact Ms. Zisa Lubarov-Walton (lubarov-walton.zisa@epa.gov) or by
telephone/voice mail at (202) 564-4533 at least five business days
prior to the meeting date so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
4. Solicitation of information on the Proposed Review Panel: To
provide the Agency with meaningful input, we have determined that the
following expertise is needed for the review: toxicology including
carcinogenicity; biostatistics; epidemiology; pediatrics; radiation
biology; risk assessment and the application of the Agency's risk
assessment guidelines. As requested by EPA's ORD, the EPA Science
Advisory Board's Environmental Health Committee, a standing committee
of the Board, will conduct this review. The SAB EHC will be augmented
with members from the SAB Radiation Advisory Committee, the FIFRA
Science Advisory Panel (SAP) and the Children's Health Protection
Advisory Council (CHPAC) to form the SGACS review Panel. By including
members of the three EPA advisory bodies in the review of this
document, the requesting office hopes to benefit from their unique
expertise in children's risk assessment and to receive a peer review
report which reflects the views of these bodies on the charge questions
in an expedited manner. Therefore, we are not soliciting additional
experts for this review.
The SAB Staff Office will post the names and biosketches for
members of the review Panel on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/
sab.
The public has the opportunity to provide information, analysis or
other documentation relevant to the membership of the panel before the
SAB Staff Office makes a final decision. Information, analysis or
documentation must be received by the Designated Federal Officer (DFO)
no later than March 18, 2003. Please see the address/contact
information noted above. The complete SAB process for panel formation
described in the Overview of the Panel Formation Process at the
Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board, which can found
on the SAB's Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec02010.pdf.
For the EPA SAB, a balanced review panel (i.e., committee,
subcommittee, or panel) is characterized by inclusion of candidates who
possess the necessary domains of knowledge, the relevant scientific
perspectives (which, among other factors, can be influenced by work
history and affiliation), and the collective breadth of experience to
adequately address the charge. Information provided by the public will
be considered in the selection of the panel, along with information
provided by candidates and information gathered by EPA SAB Staff
independently on the background of each candidate (e.g., financial
disclosure information and computer searches to evaluate a nominee's
prior involvement with the topic under review). Specific criteria to be
used in evaluating an individual subcommittee member include: (a)
Scientific and/or technical expertise, knowledge, and experience
(primary factors); (b) availability and willingness to serve; (c)
absence of financial conflicts of interest; (d) scientific credibility
and impartiality; and (e) ability to work constructively and
effectively in committees.
Dated: February 26, 2003.
Robert Flaak,
Acting Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board.
[FR Doc. 03-5029 Filed 3-3-03; 8:45 am]
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