[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 91 (Tuesday, May 12, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26186-26187]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-12581]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FR-6012-9 ]


Notice of Peer Consultation Workshop on Selenium Aquatic Toxicity 
and Bioaccumulation

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This document announces a Peer Consultation Workshop on 
Selenium Aquatic Toxicity and Bioaccumulation which is being sponsored 
by the U.S. EPA, Office of Water, Office of Science and Technology. 
This peer consultation workshop is being conducted to assess the state 
of the science underlying various technical issues related to EPA's 
review and revision of its freshwater, chronic aquatic life criterion 
for selenium. During the workshop, a panel of independent scientific 
experts external to the Agency will be responding to a technical charge 
developed by the Agency for addressing the various technical issues. 
The product of this workshop will be a report that will contain a 
summary of workshop discussions, the responses of the experts to the 
technical charge, and their supporting justification. EPA intends to 
consider the experts' responses to the technical charge during its 
forthcoming review and revision of the freshwater chronic aquatic life 
criterion for selenium.

DATES: This workshop will be held on Wednesday, May 27, 1998 through 
Thursday, May 28, 1998. It will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday and 
will conclude on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. (approximate time).

ADDRESSES: The Peer Consultation Workshop on Selenium Aquatic Toxicity 
and Bioaccumulation will be held at the Radisson Barcelo Hotel, 
Washington, DC, at 2121 P Street, NW, Washington, DC, Telephone: 202-
293-3100.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Sappington, Health and 
Ecological Criteria Division (4304), U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, SW, 
Washington, D.C. 20460. Telephone: 202-260-9898, Fax 202-260-1036, or 
by E-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the Peer Consultation 
Workshop on Selenium Aquatic Toxicity and Bioaccumulation is to review 
and discuss the scientific database regarding several technical issues 
confronting EPA's review of its freshwater chronic aquatic life 
criterion for selenium. Some of these technical issues include whether 
or not reliable residue-based toxicological effect levels can be 
established in aquatic organisms, identifying which forms of selenium 
are most toxicologically-relevant in tissues and other media, and 
quantifying the effect that various environmental factors might have on 
the extent and rates of selenium bioaccumulation in aquatic life. The 
invited experts will have expertise in areas including selenium 
biogeochemistry, aquatic toxicology, pharmacology, bioaccumulation, 
environmental and analytical chemistry, modeling, and ecotoxicology in 
aquatic ecosystems. In responding to the technical charge, these 
experts will consider the available scientific literature on selenium 
effects and bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms in the context of 
setting toxicological effect levels of selenium on aquatic life in 
freshwater ecosystems. The product of this workshop will be a technical

[[Page 26187]]

report that contains the experts' responses to the technical charge, 
clear statements of the supporting rationale for conclusions made, and 
an assessment of the level of confidence (or conversely, the degree of 
uncertainty) associated with each response. EPA intends to consider the 
experts' responses to the technical charge in its subsequent review and 
revision of the freshwater, chronic aquatic life criterion for 
selenium.
    To attend the Peer Consultation Workshop on Selenium Aquatic 
Toxicity and Bioaccumulation as an observer, call the ERG Conference 
Registration Line at telephone number, 781-674-7374. You may also 
register online at www.erg.com. 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. 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 two to three 
minutes.

    Dated: May 1, 1998.
Tudor T. Davies,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 98-12581 Filed 5-11-98; 8:45 am]
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