[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 189 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50561-50562]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-24266]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Environment, Safety and Health
[Notice 96-01]


Continuation of Solicitation for Epidemiology and Other Health 
Studies Financial Assistance Program

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Annual notice of continuation of potential availability of 
grants and cooperative agreements.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Health Studies within the Office of Environment, 
Safety and Health of the Department of Energy (DOE) announces its 
continuing interest in receiving applications for grants and 
cooperative agreements for occupational and environmental health 
studies related to nuclear weapons production, research, development, 
storage and dismantling and energy production, transmission and use. A 
final program rule, which specifies the general policies and procedures 
governing the purpose and scope, program areas, eligibility, 
application requirements, evaluation criteria, solicitation and 
selection procedures for the Office of Health Studies financial 
assistance program, was published in the Federal Register (60 FR 5838) 
on January 31, 1995, effective March 2, 1995. Proposed research 
applications and pre-applications shall comply with 10 CFR Part 602.
    The three offices within the Office of Health Studies, the Office 
of Epidemiologic Studies, the Office of International Health Studies, 
and the Office of Occupational Medicine and Medical Surveillance, 
promote studies to identify and assess the health risks associated with 
occupational or environmental exposures to ionizing radiation or toxic 
chemicals in the following populations: Employees of DOE and of DOE 
contractors 

[[Page 50562]]
(particularly those at high-risk for exposure to ionizing radiation or 
toxic chemicals), residents of communities near DOE facilities, and 
populations throughout the world at high-risk for exposure to ionizing 
radiation or toxic chemicals resulting from accidental exposures or 
proximity to nuclear or other energy-related facilities. Deliberate 
exposure of human subjects in ongoing radiation experiments is outside 
the scope of this announcement. Access and use of information for 
conducting studies under this notice will comply with the Amendment to 
the Federal Privacy Act of 1974 regarding Existing Systems of Records, 
published June 28, 1995, effective August 7, 1995 (60 FR 33510).

DATES: Deadlines for applications or pre-applications will be contained 
in separate Notices of Availability to be published at a later time in 
the Federal Register that will address specific program areas to be 
funded by the Office of Health Studies in fiscal year 1996. However, 
all applications accepted under this notice must be received by the 
Office of Health Studies on or before September 30, 1996.

ADDRESSES: After the issuance of a Notice of Availability, applicants 
may obtain additional information from Dr. Paul Seligman, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary, Office of Health Studies (EH-6), U.S. Department 
of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290; facsimile: 
301-903-3445; telephone: 301-903-5926.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For fiscal year 1996, the Office of Health 
Studies estimates that approximately $2.5 million will be available for 
grants in occupational and environmental health studies. The number of 
awards made will depend on the number of applications received for 
which the results of competitive merit review are favorable. Of this 
total, the Office of International Health Studies anticipates that 
approximately $500,000 will be available to support research to improve 
an understanding of the health effects and to assess the health risks 
of exposures to ionizing radiation in workers and populations 
throughout the world with potential radiation exposures. Of the 
remainder, the Office of Occupational Medicine and Medical Surveillance 
anticipates that approximately $2 million will be available in the form 
of a cooperative agreement to identify and assess former workers at DOE 
facilities at risk for occupational diseases. Separate Notices of 
Availability will be issued in the Federal Register for these two 
programs.
    The Office of Epidemiologic Studies does not anticipate having 
funds available to support either cooperative agreements or grants 
during fiscal year 1996.
    Pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding between DOE and the 
Department of Health and Human Servies (56 FR 9701), published March 7, 
1991, additional funds to study (1) occupational health and safety 
issues arising from exposures to radiation and toxic chemicals at 
nuclear and other energy-related facilities and (2) methodology for 
risk assessment and epidemiologic research may be available through the 
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); see Federal Register 
Announcement 521 (60 FR 4916), published January 25, 1995, or contact 
Richard Hornung, Associate Director for Energy-Related Health Research, 
NIOSH, Mail Stop R-44, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226; 
telephone: 513-841-4400.
    The National Center for Environmental Health of CDC previously 
awarded funds for radiation-related research, including dose 
reconstruction studies, but does not anticipate any additional funds 
for fiscal year 1996. (For current information contact Paul Renard, 
Chief, Radiation Studies Branch, NCEH, 4770 Buford Highway, NE., 
Atlanta, GA 30341; telephone: 404-488-7040.)
    DOE is under no obligation to pay for any cost associated with the 
preparation or submission of any application. DOE reserves the right to 
fund, in whole or in part, any, all, or none of the applications 
submitted in response to this notice. Results of studies carried out as 
grants or cooperative agreements with the Office of Health Studies will 
be made available to DOE workers, to the public, and to managers 
responsible for protecting worker health and safety.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on September 15, 1995.
Paul J. Seligman,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Studies.
[FR Doc. 95-24266 Filed 9-28-95; 8:45 am]
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