[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 142 (Friday, July 24, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39926-39927]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-19868]



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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 2862]


Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific 
Affairs; Government Activities on International Harmonization of 
Chemical Classification and Labeling Systems; Public Meeting

AGENCY: Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific 
Affairs (OES), Department of State.

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting regarding Government Activities on 
International Harmonization of Chemical Classification and Labeling 
Systems.

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SUMMARY: This public meeting will provide an update on current 
activities related to international harmonization since the previous 
public meeting, conducted June 16, 1998. (See Department of State 
Public Notice 2813, on pages 26938-26839 of the Federal Register of May 
14, 1998.) The meeting will also offer interested organizations and 
individuals the opportunity to provide information and views for 
consideration in the development of United States Government policy 
positions. For more complete information on the harmonization process, 
please refer to State Department Public Notice 2526, pages 15951-15957 
of the Federal Register of April 3, 1997.
    The meeting will take place from 10:00 a.m. until noon on August 5 
in Room S4215 A&B, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, 
NW, Washington, DC. Attendees should use the entrance at C and Third 
Streets, NW. To facilitate entry, please have a picture ID available 
and/or a U.S. Government building pass if applicable.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For further information or to submit written comments or information, 
please contact Mary Frances Lowe, U.S. Department of State, OES/ENV, 
Room 4325, 2201 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20520. Phone (202) 736-
4660, fax (202) 647-5947. A public docket is also available for review 
(OSHA docket H-022H).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of State is announcing a 
public meeting of the interagency committee concerned with the 
international harmonization of chemical hazard classification and 
labeling systems (an effort often referred to as the ``globally 
harmonized system'' or GHS). The purpose of the meeting is to provide 
interested groups and individuals with an update on activities since 
the June 16, 1998, public meeting, a preview of upcoming international 
meetings, and an opportunity to submit additional information and 
comments for consideration in developing U.S. Government positions. 
Representatives of the following agencies participate in the 
interagency group: the Department of State, the Environmental 
Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, the Occupational 
Safety and Health Administration, the Consumer Product Safety 
Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of 
Commerce, the Department of Agriculture, the Office of the U.S. Trade 
Representative, and the National Institute of Environmental Health 
Sciences.
    The Agenda of the public meeting will include:

1. Introduction
2. Reports on recent international meetings
    --First meeting of the Inter-Organization Program for the Sound 
Management of Chemicals (IOMC)/International Labour Organisation 
Working Group for the Harmonization of Chemical Hazard Communication, 
June 22, in London, UK. The Working Group elected Dr. Iona Pratt of 
Ireland as chair and set up a process for developing the terms of 
reference, work plan and time table for the hazard communication 
elements of the GHS.
    --12th Consultation of the IOMC Coordinating Group for the 
Harmonization of Chemical Classification Systems, June 23-24, London, 
UK. This group provides overall management direction to the development 
of the GHS. At the June meeting, the group reached consensus on a paper 
clarifying the scope and application of the GHS discussed at the 
previous two Coordinating Group meetings, in June and November, 1997. 
The group also approved a report on a proposed organizational setting 
within the UN Economic and Social Council framework. Both papers have 
been forwarded to the Intersessional Group of the Intergovernmental 
Forum on Chemical Safety for consideration at its November 29-December 
4 meeting. The organizational paper was also considered by the UN 
Subcommittee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UNSCETDG) 
during its June 29-July 10 session. Copies of the two papers and 
related documents are in the public docket.
    --Second Meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and 
Development (OECD) Working Group on Mixtures, June 25-27, in London, 
UK. This group is charged with developing harmonized approaches for the 
classification of mixtures. Participants discussed a draft detailed 
review document outlining the components of major existing hazard 
classification systems for mixtures, set up a process for revising that 
document, and reached agreement on some coverage issues.
    --Meeting of the UNSCETDG, June 29-July 10, in Geneva, Switzerland. 
The Subcommittee has hosted the working group developing classification 
criteria proposals for physical hazards and largely completed this work 
in December 1997. It is also involved in consideration of OECD 
proposals on acute and aquatic toxicity classifications, the 
institutional framework for the ongoing maintenance of the GHS, and 
hazard communication issues as they relate to goods in transport.
3. Preparation for upcoming meetings.
    --Seventh Meeting of the Advisory Group on Harmonization of 
Classification and Labelling, September 1-2, Paris, France. This 
meeting will focus on discussion of classification criteria proposals 
for health and environmental endpoints, including skin and eye 
irritation/corrosion, target organ toxicity, reproductive toxicity, 
aquatic toxicity, acute toxicity, and the review of an integrated 
document comprised of introductory sections on cross-cutting issues and 
individual chapters on each covered endpoint. The goal is to have the 
integrated proposal and other issues resolved as much as possible 
before the high level OECD meeting, described below. Key remaining 
issues involve actue, acquatic reproductive and target organ toxicity 
and the integrated proposal.
    --OECD High Level Meeting of the Advisory Group, September 3-4, 
Paris, France. Participants in this meeting will be senior level 
officials charged with reaching agreement on a packaging of OECD 
classification criteria for submission to and approval of the OECD 
Joint Meeting on Chemicals, now planned for November 4-6.
4. Public comments.
5. Concluding remarks.

    Interested parties are invited to submit their comments as soon as

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possible for consideration in the development of U.S. positions for the 
international meetings listed above, and to present their views orally 
and/or in writing at the public meeting. Participants in the meeting 
may also address other topics relating to harmonization of chemical 
classification and labeling systems and are particularly invited to 
identify issues of concern to specific sectors that may be affected by 
the GHS.
    All written comments will be placed in the public docket (OSHA 
docket H-022H). The docket is open from 10 am until 4 pm, Monday 
through Friday, and is located at the Department of Labor, Room 2625, 
200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. (Telephone 202-219-7894; 
Fax: 202-219-5046). The public may also consult the docket to review 
previous Federal Register notices, comments received, Questions and 
Answers about the GHS, a response to comments on the April 3, 1997, 
Federal Register notice, and other relevant documents.

    Dated: June 20, 1998.
Michael Metelits,
Director Office of Environmental Policy Bureau of Oceans and 
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-19868 Filed 7-23-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-09-M