[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 160 (Monday, August 20, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46483-46484]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-16321]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8457-5; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2007-0599]
Draft Toxicological Review of Tetrahydrofuran: In Support of the
Summary Information in the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of peer-review workshop and public comment period.
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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing that the Oak Ridge Institute of Science and
Education (ORISE), under an Interagency agreement between the
Department of Energy and EPA, will convene an independent panel of
experts and organize and conduct an external peer-review workshop to
review the external review draft document titled, ``Toxicological
Review of Tetrahydrofuran: In Support of Summary Information on the
Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)'' (NCEA-S-1620). The EPA also
is announcing a public comment period for the draft document. EPA
intends to consider comments and recommendations from the public and
the expert panel meeting when EPA finalizes the draft document.
The public comment period and the external peer-review workshop are
separate processes that provide opportunities for all interested
parties to comment on the document. EPA intends to forward public
comments submitted in accordance with this notice to ORISE for
consideration by the external peer-review panel prior to the workshop.
EPA is releasing this draft document solely for the purpose of pre-
dissemination peer review under applicable information quality
guidelines. This document has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It
does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency
policy or determination.
ORISE invites the public to register to attend this workshop as
observers. In addition, ORISE invites the public to give brief oral
comments at the workshop regarding the draft document under review. The
draft document and EPA's peer-review charge are available via the
Internet on NCEA's home page under the Recent Additions and the Data
and Publications menus at http://www.epa.gov/ncea. When finalizing the
draft document, EPA intends to consider ORISE's report of the comments
and recommendations from the external peer-review workshop and any
public comments that EPA receives in accordance with this notice.
DATES: The peer-review panel workshop will begin on November 1, 2007,
at 9 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. The public comment period begins August 20,
2007, and ends October 18, 2007. Technical comments should be in
writing and must be received by EPA by October 18, 2007. EPA intends to
submit comments from the public received by this date to ORISE prior to
the workshop for consideration by the panel.
ADDRESSES: The peer-review workshop will be held at the American
Geophysical Union, 2000 Florida Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20009.
ORISE is organizing, convening, and conducting the peer-review
workshop. To attend the workshop, register by October 22, 2007, via the
Internet at http://www.orau.gov/tetrahydrofuran. You may also register
by calling ORISE at 865-576-2922, sending a facsimile to 865-241-3168,
or sending an e-mail to Margaret Lyday, [email protected]. You must
register by October 22, 2007, if you wish to provide brief oral
comments at the workshop.
The draft Toxicological Review of Tetrahydrofuran: In Support of
Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) is
available via the Internet on the National Center for Environmental
Assessment's (NCEA) home page under the Recent Additions and the Data
and Publications menus at http://www.epa.gov/ncea. A limited number of
paper copies are available from the Technical Information Staff, NCEA-
W; telephone: 202-564-3261; facsimile: 202-565-0050. If you are
requesting a paper copy, please provide your name, mailing address, and
the document title. Copies are not available from ORISE. The National
Toxicology Program studies referenced in the Toxicological Review of
Tetrahydrofuran are available by calling EPA's IRIS Hotline at 202-566-
1676, by fax at 202-566-1749 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Comments may be submitted electronically via http://www.regulations.gov, by mail, by facsimile, or by hand delivery/
courier. Please follow the detailed instructions as provided in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.
[[Page 46484]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the peer review
workshop, contact Margaret Lyday, ORISE, P.O. Box 117, MS 17, Oak
Ridge, TN 37831-0117, 865-576-2922 or 865-241-3168 (facsimile),
[email protected] (e-mail).
For information on the public comment period, contact the Office of
Environmental Information Docket; telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile:
202-566-1753; or e-mail: [email protected].
If you have questions about the document, contact Jamie Strong,
IRIS Staff, National Center for Environmental Assessment, (8601D), U.S.
EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone:
202-564-3386; facsimile: 202-565-0075; [email protected] (e-mail).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Summary of Information About the Integrated Risk Information System
(IRIS)
IRIS is a database that contains potential adverse human health
effects information that may result from chronic (or lifetime) exposure
to specific chemical substances found in the environment. The database
(available on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/iris) contains
qualitative and quantitative health effects information for more than
500 chemical substances that may be used to support the first two steps
(hazard identification and dose-response evaluation) of a risk
assessment process. When supported by available data, the database
provides oral reference doses (RfDs) and inhalation reference
concentrations (RfCs) for chronic health effects, and oral slope
factors and inhalation unit risks for carcinogenic effects. Combined
with specific exposure information, government and private entities can
use IRIS data to help characterize public health risks of chemical
substances in a site-specific situation and thereby support risk
management decisions designed to protect public health.
II. Workshop Information
Members of the public may attend the workshop as observers, and
there will be a limited time for oral comments from the public. Please
let ORISE know if you wish to make comments during the workshop prior
to the meeting by registering on the Web site at http://www.orau.gov/tetrahydrofuran and indicating your intent to make oral comments. Space
is limited, and reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-
served basis.
III. How To Submit Technical Comments to the Docket at http://www.regulations.gov
Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2007-
0599 by one of the following methods:
http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line
instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected].
Fax: 202-566-1753.
Mail: Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket
(Mail Code: 2822T), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202-
566-1752.
Hand Delivery: The OEI Docket is located in the EPA
Headquarters Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. 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. Such deliveries are only accepted during
the docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should
be made for deliveries of boxed information.
If you provide comments by mail or hand delivery, please submit one
unbound original with pages numbered consecutively, and three copies of
the comments. For attachments, provide an index, number pages
consecutively with the comments, and submit an unbound original and
three copies.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2007-0599. Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the
specified comment period. Comments received after the closing date will
be marked ``late,'' and may only be considered if time permits. It is
EPA's policy to include all comments it receives in the public docket
without change and to make the comments available online at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided,
unless a comment includes information claimed to be confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to
be CBI or otherwise protected through http://www.regulations.gov or e-
mail. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous
access'' system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you
send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without going through http://www.regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be automatically captured
and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket
and made available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic
comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact
information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you
submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties
and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to
consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special
characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or
viruses. For additional information about EPA's public docket visit the
EPA Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such
as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy.
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically
in http://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the OEI Docket in the
EPA Headquarters Docket Center.
Dated: August 14, 2007.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. E7-16321 Filed 8-17-07; 8:45 am]
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