[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 86 (Monday, May 5, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 24444]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-11631]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5821-7]


Notice of Public Meeting on the Expert Panel on Arsenic 
Carcinogenicity: Review and Workshop

AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces an Expert Panel on Arsenic 
Carcinogenicity: Review and Workshop to review and discuss the relevant 
scientific literature for evaluating the possible mode(s) of action 
underlying the carcinogenic action of arsenic (As). This Expert Panel 
workshop is being used to address scientific consensus and peer review 
as a part of the process to ``update'' the Integrated Risk Information 
System (IRIS) file on arsenic (As). A summary of the Expert Panel's 
report will be included in the revision of the As file prior to loading 
on IRIS. This workshop is being sponsored by EPA's National Center for 
Environmental Assessment and EPA's Office of Water.

DATES: This Workshop will be held at the Holiday Inn--National Airport 
on Wednesday, May 21, 1997 through Thursday, May 22, 1997. It will 
begin at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday and will conclude on Thursday at 4:00 
.p.m. Members of the public may attend as observers from 9:00 a.m. on 
Wednesday through 12:15 p.m. on Thursday and there will be a 30-minute 
period on Wednesday for observer comments. The afternoon of Thursday 
(1:30 p.m. through 4:00 p.m.) will be limited to Panel members in order 
to permit the Expert Panel to write a first draft of their report.

ADDRESSES: The Expert Panel on Arsenic Carcinogenicity: Review and 
Workshop will be held at the Holiday Inn--National Airport, Washington 
DC at 1489 Jefferson Davis Highway, U.S. Rte. # 1, Arlington, VA 22202, 
telephone: 703-416-1600; Fax: 702-416-1615. To attend this Workshop as 
an observer, contact Ms. Beth O'Connor at Eastern Research Group, Inc. 
(ERG), 110 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington, MA 02173-3134, telephone: 617-
674-7250; FAX: 617-674-2906 or call the ERG Conference Registration 
Line at telephone number, 617-674-7374. There is no charge for 
attending this Workshop as an observer, but seats are limited, so 
register as soon as possible. Each registrant will receive a 
confirmation letter, a preliminary agenda and a logistical fact sheet. 
Copies of relevant material will be supplied to the workshop 
registrants in advance and/or at the meeting site, as circumstances 
allow. Any observer wishing to make comments or address issues must 
sign up with ERG prior to the workshop. Each will be assigned a time 
slot on a first-come, first-served basis. Individual comments should be 
limited to 2 to 3 minutes.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles O. Abernathy, Health 
Ecological Criteria Division, (4304), U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, SW, 
Washington, D.C. 20460. Telephone (202) 260-5374, fax (202) 260-1036.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this Workshop is to review 
and discuss the scientific data base on the carcinogenic modes of 
action(s) of As, and to comment on the most appropriate approach for 
extrapolating the dose-response relationship to the low-dose associated 
with drinking water exposure. The Panel will consist of scientists with 
expertise in arsenic metabolism, mechanism(s) of gene regulation, DNA 
repair, molecular biology of cancer and statistical treatment of these 
processes. These experts will consider the mode of action data and its 
implications for the dose-response extrapolation as described in the 
EPA's 1996 Proposed Guidelines for Carcinogenic Risk Assessment. The 
product of this Panel workshop will be a report that explains the mode 
of action understanding, discusses major points of interpretation and 
rationale as well as pointing out uncertainties that deserve attention. 
Based on this mode of action understanding, the Panel will recommend 
the most appropriate dose-response extrapolation procedures. The final 
report is to include a concise statement describing the major 
conclusions that the Agency can use to derive additional discussion for 
the revision of the IRIS file for arsenic.

    Dated: April 21, 1997.
Tudor T. Davies,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 97-11631 Filed 5-2-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P