[Federal Register: April 10, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 69)]
[Notices]
[Page 17654-17655]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10ap03-90]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Meeting
Notice
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces the
following meeting:
Name: Continue Conceptual Discussions for Escape Respirator
Standards Development Efforts Used for Respiratory Protection
Against Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN)
Agents.
Time and Date: 9 a.m.--5 p.m., April 29, 2003.
Place: Radisson Hotel Pittsburgh Green Tree, 101 Radisson Drive,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Status: This meeting is hosted by NIOSH and will be open to the
public, limited only by the space available. The meeting room will
accommodate approximately 175 people. Interested parties should make
hotel reservations directly with the Radisson Hotel Pittsburgh Green
Tree (412-922-8400 or 800-333-3333) before the cut off date of April
21, 2003, referencing the NIOSH/NPPTL Public Meeting. Interested
parties should confirm their attendance to this meeting by
completing a registration form and forwarding it by e-mail
(confserv@netl.doe.gov) or fax (304-285-4459) to the Event
Management Office. A registration form may be obtained from the
NIOSH Homepage (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh) by selecting
``Conferences,'' and then the event.
Requests to make presentations at the public meeting should be
mailed to the NIOSH Docket Officer, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, M/S
C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, Telephone 513-
533-8303, Fax 513-533-8285, E-mail niocindocket@cdc.gov. All
requests to present should contain the name, address, telephone
number, relevant business affiliations of the presenter, a brief
summary of the presentation, and the approximate time requested for
the presentation. Oral presentations should be limited to 15
minutes.
After reviewing the requests for presentations, NIOSH will
notify each presenter of the approximate time that their
presentation is scheduled to begin. If a participant is not present
when his or her presentation is scheduled to begin, the remaining
participants will be heard in order. At the conclusion of the
meeting, an attempt will be made to allow presentations by any
scheduled participants who missed their assigned times. Attendees
who wish to speak but did not submit a request for the opportunity
to make a presentation may be given this opportunity at the
conclusion of the meeting, at the discretion of the presiding
officer. Comments on the topics presented in this notice and at the
meeting should be mailed to the NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft
Laboratories, M/S C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio
45226, Telephone 513-533-8303, Fax 513-533-8285. Comments may also
be submitted by e-mail to niocindocket@cdc.gov. E-mail attachments
should be formatted as WordPerfect 6/7/8/9 or Microsoft Word.
Comments should be submitted to NIOSH no later than May 30, 2003,
and should reference docket number, NIOSH-002, in the subject
heading.
Purpose: NIOSH will continue conceptual discussions of standards
and testing processes for an Escape Respirator standard suitable for
respiratory protection against CBRN Agents and review ongoing
research to identify simulata materials for use as CBRN test
surrogates for respirator research. NIOSH, along with the U.S. Army
Soldier and Biological Chemical Command (SBCCOM) and the National
Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), will present
information to attendees concerning the concept development for the
Escape Respirator CBRN standard. Participants will be given an
opportunity to ask questions and to present individual comments for
consideration. Interested participants may obtain the latest copy of
the Escape Respirator CBRN concept paper, as well as earlier
versions of the concept papers used during the standard development
effort, from the NIOSH contact identified below, or from the NIOSH
National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) Web site,
address: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl. The April 15, 2003, concept
paper will be used as the basis for discussion at the public
meeting, as well as forming the basis for the new Escape Respirator
CBRN statement of standard.
[[Page 17655]]
Recent acts of terrorism have created an urgent awareness of
domestic security and preparedness issues. Municipal, state, and
federal responder groups, particularly those in locations considered
potential targets, have been developing and modifying response and
consequence management plans. Since the World Trade Center and
anthrax incidents, most emergency response agencies have operated
with a heightened appreciation of the potential scope and sustained
resource requirements for coping with such events. The Federal
Interagency Board for Equipment Standardization and Interoperability
(IAB) has worked to identify personal protective equipment that is
already available on the market for responders' use. The IAB has
identified the development of standards or guidelines for
respiratory protection equipment as a top priority. NIOSH, NIST,
National Fire Protection Association, and the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration have entered into a Memorandum of
Understanding defining each agency's or organization's role in
developing, establishing, and enforcing standards or guidelines for
responders' respiratory protective devices. NIST has initiated
Interagency Agreements with NIOSH and SBCCOM to aid in the
development of appropriate protection standards or guidelines. NIOSH
has the lead in developing standards or guidelines to test,
evaluate, and approve respirators.
NIOSH, SBCCOM, and NIST have hosted public meetings on April 17
and 18, 2001; June 18 and 19, 2002; and October 16 and 17, 2002,
presenting their progress in assessing respiratory protection needs
of responders to CBRN incidents. The methods or models for
developing hazard and exposure estimates, and the status of
evaluating test methods and performance standards that may be
applicable in future CBRN respirator standards or guidelines, were
discussed at these meetings.
Contact for Additional Information: Event Management, P.O. Box
880, 3610 Collins Ferry Road, Morgantown, WV 26507, Telephone 304-
285-4750, Fax 304-285-4459, E-mail confserv@netl.doe.gov. The Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, has been
delegated the authority to sign Federal Register Notices pertaining
to announcements of meetings and other committee management
activities, for both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Dated: April 3, 2003.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-8738 Filed 4-9-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P