[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 202 (Friday, October 17, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61874-61875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-24728]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Docket Number NIOSH-144]
Notice of Request for Public To Submit Comments and Attend
Meeting
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.
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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 availability of the following notice of public meeting
and draft document available for public comment entitled ``NIOSH
Criteria Document Update: Occupational Exposure to Hexavalent
Chromium.'' The document and instructions for submitting comments can
be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/144/. Comments may
be provided to the NIOSH docket, as well as given orally at the
following meeting.
Public Comment Period: October 15, 2008-January 31, 2009.
Public Meeting Time and Date: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. EST, January 22, 2009.
Place: Robert A. Taft Laboratories, Taft Auditorium, NIOSH, CDC,
4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998.
Purpose of Meeting: To discuss and obtain comments on the draft
document, ``NIOSH Criteria Document Update: Occupational Exposure to
Hexavalent Chromium.'' Special emphasis will be placed on discussion of
the following:
1. Are the critical studies presented clearly and adequately?
2. Do all of the presented studies use scientifically valid methods
and techniques?
3. Are there additional critical studies relevant to occupational
exposure to hexavalent chromium compounds that should be included?
4. Does NIOSH have a transparent and sound basis for its revised
Recommended Exposure Limit for hexavalent chromium compounds?
5. Is the new NIOSH policy of providing general exposure assessment
recommendations instead of a specific Action Level scientifically
justified?
6. Are the NIOSH recommendations for worker protection clear and
justified?
7. Are there additional recommendations for worker protection that
should be included?
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 January 7, 2009
for U.S. citizens, or no later than December 30, 2008 for non-U.S.
citizens.* Persons wanting to provide oral comments at the meeting are
requested to notify the NIOSH Docket Office no later than January 7,
2009 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 must also be submitted to
the docket in writing in order to be considered by the Agency. 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-144 and must be submitted by January 31,
2009 to be considered by the Agency. All electronic comments should be
formatted as Microsoft Word. Please make reference to Docket Number
NIOSH-144.
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.
*Non-U.S. Citizens: Because of CDC Security Regulations, any non-
U.S. citizen wishing to attend this meeting must provide the following
information in writing to the NIOSH Docket Officer at the address below
no later than December 30, 2008. This information will be transmitted
to the CDC Security Office for approval. Visitors will be notified as
soon as approval has been obtained.
1. Name:
2. Gender:
3. Date of Birth:
4. Place of Birth (city, province, state, country):
5. Citizenship:
6. Passport Number:
7. Date of Passport Issue:
8. Date of Passport Expiration:
9. Type of Visa:
10. U.S. Naturalization Number (if a naturalized citizen)
11. U.S. Naturalization Date (if a naturalized citizen)
12. Visitor's Organization:
13. Organization Address:
14. Organization Telephone Number:
15. Visitor's Position/Title within the Organization:
Background: This draft NIOSH document provides a review of the
available literature and provides an update of NIOSH policies on
occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium compounds including an
assessment of: (1) Critical animal, human, and in vitro studies on
occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium; (2) relevant quantitative
risk assessments about occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium;
(3) appropriate methods for sampling and analysis of hexavalent
chromium compounds in the workplace; (4) basis for the NIOSH revised
Recommended Exposure Limit for hexavalent chromium compounds; and (5)
other NIOSH recommendations for protecting workers from occupational
exposure to hexavalent chromium. This guidance document does not have
the force and effect of law.
The purpose of the public review of the draft document and public
meeting
[[Page 61875]]
is to obtain public comments assessing whether: (1) This hazard
identification is an accurate reflection of the available scientific
studies; (2) the NIOSH recommendations for protecting workers from
occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium compounds are appropriate
and justified, and (3) NIOSH has a transparent and scientific basis for
its revised Recommended Exposure Limit for hexavalent chromium
compounds.
Contact Persons For Technical Information: Kathleen MacMahon, DVM;
telephone (513) 533-8547; Mailstop C-32, Robert A. Taft Laboratories,
4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998.
Reference: ``NIOSH Criteria Document Update: Occupational Exposure
to Hexavalent Chromium'' (public review draft). Web address for this
document: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/144/.
Dated: October 9, 2008.
James D. Seligman,
Chief Information Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. E8-24728 Filed 10-16-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P