[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 12, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70598-70599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24047]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Docket Number NIOSH-115]
Notice of Public Meeting and Availability for Public Comment
AGENCY: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and availability for public comment.
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SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
announces the following meeting and request for public comment on the
draft Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) entitled ``Interim Guidance
on Medical Screening of Workers Potentially Exposed to Engineered
Nanoparticles.'' The document and instructions for submitting comments
can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/115/. Comments
may be provided to the NIOSH docket, as well as given orally at the
following meeting.
Public Comment Period: December 14, 2007 through February 15, 2008.
Public Meeting Time and Date: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., January 30, 2008.
Place: Robert A. Taft Laboratories, Taft Auditorium, NIOSH, CDC,
4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226.
Purpose of Meeting: To discuss and obtain comments on the draft CIB
``Interim Guidance on Medical Screening of Workers Potentially Exposed
to Engineered Nanoparticles.'' Special emphasis will be placed on
discussion of the following:
(1) Do the data support the conclusions of the document?
(2) Are the conclusions appropriate in light of the current
understanding of toxicological data?
(3) Is medical surveillance appropriate at this time for workers
with potential exposure to engineered nanoparticles; if so, what
form(s) of medical surveillance are specific for such workers?
(4) What are the potential benefits, adverse impacts, and
limitations of medical screening of workers potentially exposed to
engineered nanoparticles?
(5) What are the potential benefits, adverse impacts, and
limitations of establishing an exposure registry for workers exposed to
engineered nanoparticles?
Status: The forum will include scientists and representatives from
various government agencies, industry, labor, and other stakeholders,
and is open to the public, limited only by the space available. The
meeting room accommodates 80 people. Due to limited space and security
clearance requirements, notification of intent to attend the meeting
must be made to the NIOSH Docket Office no later than Friday, January
18, 2008. Persons wanting to provide oral comments at the meeting are
requested to notify the NIOSH Docket Office no later than January 11,
2008 at 513/533-8611 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Priority for
attendance will be given to those providing oral comments. Other
requests to attend the meeting will then be accommodated on a first-
come basis. Unreserved walk-in attendees will not be admitted due to
security clearance requirements.
Persons wanting to provide oral comments will be permitted up to 20
minutes. If additional time becomes available, presenters will be
notified. Oral comments given at the meeting will be recorded and
included in the docket. Written comments will also be accepted at the
meeting. Written comments may also be submitted to the NIOSH Docket
Office, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 4676 Columbia Parkway, MS C-34,
Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, telephone 513/533-8611. All material submitted
to the Agency should reference docket number NIOSH-115 and must be
submitted by February 15, 2008 (public review closing date) to be
considered by the Agency. All electronic comments should be formatted
as Microsoft Word. Please make reference to docket number NIOSH-115.
All information received in response to this notice will be
available for public examination and copying at the NIOSH Docket
Office, Room 111, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226.
Background: Concerns have been raised about whether workers exposed
to engineered nanoparticles will be at increased risk of adverse health
effects and whether medical screening or some other type of
occupational health surveillance is appropriate for these workers.
Although increasing evidence indicates that exposure to some engineered
nanoparticles can cause adverse health effects in laboratory animals,
insufficient medical evidence exists to recommend the medical screening
of workers potentially exposed to engineered nanoparticles. However,
NIOSH will continue to assess the scientific evidence and periodically
update the guidance on medical screening. Because occupational exposure
to engineered nanoparticles is likely to become more common in the
future, NIOSH has recommended that employers identify the presence of
engineered nanoparticles in their workplace and implement effective
efforts to minimize worker exposure to these materials [NIOSH 2006].
This guidance document does not have the force and effect of the law.
Contact Persons for Technical Information: Dr. Paul A. Schulte, M/S
C-14, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati,
Ohio 45226, telephone 513/533-8302, or Ralph Zumwalde, M/S C-32, Robert
A. Taft Laboratories, 4676 Columbia
[[Page 70599]]
Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, telephone 513/533-8320.
Reference:
NIOSH [2006]. Approaches to safe nanotechnology: an information
exchange with NIOSH. Cincinnati, OH: Department of Health and Human
Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, July 2006. Web address
for this document: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/safenano/.
Dated: December 5, 2007.
James D. Seligman,
Chief Information Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. E7-24047 Filed 12-11-07; 8:45 am]
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