[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 230 (Wednesday, November 27, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60280-60281]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-30309]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPPTS-42189; FRL-5575-7]


Endocrine Disruptors; Notice of Public Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: EPA is announcing the first meeting of the Endocrine 
Disruptors Screening and Testing Advisory Committee (EDSTAC), a 
committee established under the provisions of the Federal Committee 
Advisory Act (FACA) to advise EPA on a strategy for screening and 
testing chemicals and pesticides for their potential to disrupt 
endocrine functions in humans and wildlife.

DATES: The meeting will be held on December 12-13, 1996. It will begin 
at 8 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. on December 12th. There will be an 
opportunity for public comment from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. on the evening 
of December 12th. The Committee will reconvene at 8 a.m. and adjourn at 
12:30 p.m. on December 13th.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 250 
Gateway Blvd., South San Francisco, CA 94080. A block of rooms has been 
reserved at a rate of $109/night. When contacting the hotel please 
refer to the ``Endocrine Disrupter Screening and Testing Advisory 
Committee'' meeting to obtain this rate. The telephone number at the 
hotel is 425-589-3400, fax: 415-876-0305.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain additional information 
please contact the contractor assisting EPA with meeting facilitation 
and logistics: Ms. Tutti Otteson, The Keystone Center, P.O. Box 8606, 
Keystone, CO 80435, telephone: 970-468-5822, fax: 970-262-0152, email: 
[email protected]. For technical information, contact Tony 
Maciorowski (telephone: 202-260-3048; e-mail: 
[email protected]) or Gary Timm (telephone: 202-260-
1859; e-mail: [email protected]) at EPA.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and 
Toxic Substances is taking the lead for the Agency on endocrine 
disruption screening and testing issues. EPA began its efforts to 
develop a screening and testing strategy by obtaining the views of key 
stakeholders at a meeting on May 15-16, 1996 (61 FR 20814, May 8, 1996) 
(FRL-5369-8). At the May stakeholder's meeting participants generally 
agreed that government, industry, academia and public interest groups 
should work

[[Page 60281]]

collaboratively to develop a screening and testing strategy.
    Recent legislation (i.e., reauthorization of the Safe Drinking 
Water Act and passage of the Food Quality Protection Act) has mandated 
that such a screening and testing program be developed by EPA. Further, 
underlying authority for EPA to consider implementation of such a 
program is found in the existing Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and 
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
    EPA has concluded that a FACA chartered committee would be the best 
means of providing advice and consultation to the Agency regarding the 
development of an endocrine disruptor screening and testing program and 
proposes to form the Endocrine Disrupter Screening and Testing Advisory 
Committee (EDSTAC). An organizational meeting of EDSTAC nominees and 
other interested stakeholders was held in Washington, DC on October 31 
and November 1, 1996 (61 FR 54195, October 17, 1996) (FRL-5571-2).

EDSTAC Purpose and Goals

    The purpose of EDSTAC is to provide advice and counsel to the 
Agency on a strategy to screen and test endocrine disrupting chemicals 
and pesticides in humans, fish, and wildlife. This strategy will be 
aimed at reducing or mitigating risk to human health and the 
environment. The broad goals and objectives of EDSTAC are set forth in 
its charter and include the following:
    (a) A strategy for identifying and selecting from among existing 
and new initial screening mechanisms, as well as the methods to ensure 
their validation.
    (b) The selection of validated initial screens EPA should use to 
initiate the endocrine disrupter screening and testing program.
    (c) A strategy and criteria for deciding when more thorough 
endocrine disrupter testing, beyond the initial screening, is needed, 
what existing and new tests may be appropriate, as well as the methods 
to ensure their validation.
    (d) The selection of validated tests EPA should use subsequent to, 
or in lieu of, the initial screens.
    (e) A flexible process to select and prioritize the chemicals and 
pesticides that will be subjected to the initial screening and, where 
appropriate, subsequent testing.
    The Committee may pursue these goals sequentially or in parallel 
tracks. In either case, the Committee may recommend that EPA take 
action to implement agreements that are reached on one or more of these 
goals before agreements are reached on all of the goals. EPA expects 
the EDSTAC to take a consensus approach to reaching their findings and 
recommendations.
    These goals will also be pursued in a manner that recognizes the 
data made available as a result of the endocrine disrupter screening 
and testing program will be used to reduce or mitigate risk to human 
health and the environment. It is anticipated that this overarching 
risk management goal will eventually require the development of 
approaches to: Synthesize exposure and hazard information; and 
incorporate synthesized exposure and hazard information into risk 
reduction and risk management decisions.

EDSTAC Communication Objectives

    In developing its recommendations on an endocrine disrupter 
screening and testing program, the Committee may also need to address 
issues associated with how to publicly communicate the true intent of 
their substantive agreements and recommendations they submit to EPA. 
The Committee may also need to develop recommendations for how EPA 
should communicate screening and testing information to the public if 
the Agency follows the Committee's recommended approaches to screening 
and testing.

Proposed Agenda for December 12-13 Meeting

    The following is the proposed agenda for this first meeting.
    1. Discuss and further refine the goals and objectives of EDSTAC.
    2. Discuss and agree on the scope of EDSTAC's activities. The scope 
of EDSTAC's activities may encompass:
    a. Only estrogen effects stipulated as the minimum requirement by 
legislation or other endocrine disrupter effects. If broader than 
estrogen, which additional hormonal effects should be included (e.g., 
androgens, anti-androgens, anti-estrogens, thyroids)?
    b. Single compounds or mixtures of compounds as well. If mixtures 
are included, are there specific commonly found mixtures or classes of 
chemicals that can be included rather than all possible mixtures?
    c. Only human health effects or ecological effects as well.
    3. Review and approve the Committee's operating ground rules.
    4. Discuss the structure and utilization of work groups to address 
the issues encompassed by the scope of the Committee's activities.
    5. Initiate discussion of the principles that should guide the 
Agency's endocrine disrupter screening and testing program. These 
principles will be applicable to the development of the EDSTAC's 
screening and testing recommendations, as well as future EPA endocrine 
disrupter screening and testing policy decisions. These principles 
would address:
    a. The purpose of screening and testing.
    b. Selecting from among alternative screens and tests.
    c. Establishing the order or logical relationships for using 
different screens and tests.
    d. Validating screens and tests.
    e. Interpreting the results of screens and tests, including the 
utility of the information to be gained from screens and tests in 
deciding what happens both within the screening and testing arena 
itself as well as in the broader risk management/ decision making 
arena.
    f. How to expand screening and testing beyond whatever hormonal 
effects the Committee recommends to be the initial focus of EPA's 
endocrine disrupter screening and testing program.

    Dated: November 21, 1996.
Lynn R. Goldman,
Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic 
Substances.
[FR Doc. 96-30309 Filed 11-26-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-F