[Federal Register: November 29, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 228)]
[Notices]
[Page 71503-71504]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29no05-53]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8002-2]
Twelfth Meeting of the World Trade Center Expert Technical Review
Panel To Continue Evaluation on Issues Relating to Impacts of the
Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
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SUMMARY: The World Trade Center Expert Technical Review Panel will hold
its twelfth meeting intended to provide for greater input from
individuals on ongoing efforts to monitor the situation for New York
residents and workers impacted by the collapse of the World Trade
Center. The panel members will help guide the EPA's use of the
available exposure and health surveillance databases and registries to
characterize any remaining exposures and risks, identify unmet public
health needs, and recommend any steps to further minimize the risks
associated with the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks. The
panel has met 11 times and held one conference call since being formed
in March 2004. Panel meetings are open to the public, except where the
public interest requires otherwise. Information on the panel meeting
agendas, documents (except where the public interest requires
otherwise), and public registration to attend the meetings are
available from an Internet Web site. EPA has established an official
public docket for this action under Docket ID No. ORD-2004-0003.
DATES: The twelfth meeting of this panel will be held on December 13,
2005 beginning at 9, Eastern Standard Time. On-site registration will
begin at 8:30 a.m. The agenda for the meeting will be posted on the
panel Web site: http://www.epa.gov/wtc/panel.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Alexander Hamilton U.S.
Customs House, One Bowling Green, New York, NY in the Auditorium
(basement level). A government-issued identification (e.g., driver's
license) is required for entry.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For meeting information, registration
and logistics, please see the Web site http://www.epa.gov/wtc/panel or
contact ERG at (781) 674-7374. The meeting agenda and logistical
information will be posted on the Web site and will also be available
in hard copy. For further information regarding the technical panel,
contact Ms. Lisa Matthews, EPA Office of the Science Advisor, telephone
(202) 564-6669 or e-mail: matthews.lisa@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Meeting Information
Eastern Research Group, Inc., (ERG), an EPA contractor, will
coordinate the meeting. To attend the meeting as an observer, please
register by visiting the Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/wtc/panel. You
may also register for the meeting by calling ERG's conference
registration line between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. e.s.t. at
(781) 674-7374 or toll free at 1-800-803-2833, or by faxing a
registration request to (781) 674-2906 (include full address and
contact information). Pre-registration is strongly recommended as space
is limited, and registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-
served basis. The deadline for pre-registration is December 7, 2005.
Registrations will continue to be accepted after this date, including
on-site registration, if space allows. There will be a limited time at
the meeting for oral comments from the public. Oral comments will be
limited to five (5) minutes each. If you wish to make a statement
during the observer comment period, please check the appropriate box
when you register at the Web site. Please bring a copy of your comments
to the meeting for the record or submit them electronically via e-mail
to meetings@erg.com, subject line: WTC.
II. Background Information
Immediately following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on
New York City's World Trade Center, many federal agencies, including
the EPA, were called upon to focus their technical and scientific
expertise on the national emergency. EPA, other federal agencies, New
York City, and New York State public health and environmental
authorities focused on numerous cleanup, dust collection and ambient
air monitoring activities to ameliorate and better understand the human
health impacts of the disaster. Detailed information concerning the
environmental monitoring activities that were conducted as part of this
response is available at the EPA Response to 9-11 Web site at http://www.epa.gov/wtc/
.
In addition to environmental monitoring, EPA efforts also included
toxicity testing of the dust, as well as the development of a human
exposure and health risk assessment. This draft risk assessment
document, Exposure and Human Health Evaluation of Airborne Pollution
from the World Trade Center Disaster, is available on the Web at http://www.epa.gov/ncea/wtc.htm
). Numerous additional studies by other
Federal and State agencies, universities, and other organizations have
documented impacts to both the outdoor and indoor environments, and to
human health.
While these monitoring and assessment activities were ongoing, and
the cleanup at Ground Zero itself was occurring, EPA began planning for
a program to clean and monitor residential apartments. From June 2002
until December 2002, residents impacted by World Trade Center dust and
debris in an area of about 1 mile by 1 mile south of Canal Street and
west of Pike-Allen Streets were eligible to request either federally-
funded cleaning and monitoring for airborne asbestos or monitoring of
their residences. The cleanup continued into the summer of 2003, by
which time the EPA had cleaned and monitored 3,400 apartments and
monitored 800 apartments. Detailed information on this portion of the
EPA response is also available at http://www.epa.gov/wtc/.
A critical component of understanding long-term human health
[[Page 71504]]
impacts is the establishment of health registries. The World Trade
Center Health Registry is a comprehensive and confidential health
survey of those most directly exposed to the contamination resulting
from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. It is intended to
give health professionals a better picture of the health consequences
of 9/11. It was established by the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the New York City Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene (NYCDHMH) in cooperation with a number of academic
institutions, public agencies and community groups. Detailed
information about the registry can be obtained from the registry Web
site at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/wtc/index.html.
In order to obtain individual advice on the effectiveness of these
programs, unmet needs and data gaps, the EPA has convened a technical
panel of experts who have been involved with World Trade Center
assessment activities. Mr. E. Timothy Oppelt of EPA's Office of
Research and Development is serving as the Interim Panel Chair. Dr.
Paul Lioy, Professor of Environmental and Community Medicine at the
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute of the Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School-UMDNJ and Rutgers University, serves as
Vice Chair. A full list of the panel members, a charge statement and
operating principles for the panel are available from the panel Web
site listed above. Panel members will provide individual advice on
issues the panel addresses. These meetings will occur in New York City
and nearby locations. All of the meetings will be announced on the Web
site and by a Federal Register Notice, and they will be open to the
public for attendance and brief oral comments.
The focus of the twelfth meeting of the WTC Expert Panel is on
EPA's plan to test dust that may remain in lower Manhattan homes and
commercial spaces from the collapse of the WTC towers, including
program implementation and recruitment strategy. EPA welcomes input at
the meeting and beyond about the most efficient and effective ways to
obtain participation in the program. Further information on panel
meetings can be found at the Web site identified earlier: http://www.epa.gov/wtc/panel
.
III. How To Get Information on E-DOCKET
EPA has established an official public docket for this action under
Docket ID No. ORD-2004-0003. The official public docket consists of the
documents specifically referenced in this action, any public comments
received, and other information related to this action. Although a part
of the official docket, the public docket does not include Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. The official public docket is the collection of
materials that is available for public viewing at the Office of
Environmental Information (OEI) Docket in the Headquarters EPA Docket
Center, (EPA/DC) EPA West Building, Room B102, 1301 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading
Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading
Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the OEI Docket is
(202) 566-1752; facsimile: (202) 566-1753; or e-mail:
ORD.Docket@epa.gov.
An electronic version of the public docket is available through
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may
use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view public
comments, access the index listing of the contents of the official
public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that
are available electronically. Once in the system, select ``search,''
then key in the appropriate docket identification number.
Dated: November 20, 2005.
William H. Farland,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science, EPA Office of
Research and Development.
[FR Doc. E5-6583 Filed 11-28-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P