[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 131 (Friday, July 7, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41983-41984]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-17189]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6731-1]


Technical Workshop on Issues Associated With Considering 
Developmental Changes in Behavior and Anatomy When Assessing Exposure 
to Children

AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of Meeting.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing that ERG, a contractor to EPA's Risk 
Assessment Forum, is organizing, convening, and conducting a workshop 
for external scientific peer consultation on issues related to the 
assessment of childhood exposure. The workshop is being held to discuss 
issues associated with how to consider important developmental changes 
in behavior and anatomy when assessing the exposure of children to 
environmental contaminants.

DATES: The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 
July 26, 2000 and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 27, 2000.

ADDRESSES: The workshop will be held at the Holiday Inn on the Hill, 
415 New Jersey Avenue, NW., Washington, DC. Eastern Research Group, 
Inc., an EPA contractor, will convene and facilitate the workshop. To 
register to attend the workshop as an observer, contact Eastern 
Research Group, Inc., Tel: (781) 674-7374, or visit their HomePage at 
http://www.erg.com/conf/epa.htm by July 19, 2000. Space is limited so 
please register early.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information concerning the 
workshop on age groups for assessing exposure to children please 
contact Steven Knott, U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development 
(8601-D), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, Telephone 
(202) 564-3359.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 1993 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) 
report ``Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children'' highlights 
important differences between children and adults with respect to risks 
posed by pesticides. Some of the principles in the NAS report provided 
the foundation for the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) and 
the President's Executive Order 13045, Protection of Children from 
Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risk. FQPA requires the 
consideration of aggregate exposure to children when establishing 
pesticide tolerances (legal limits for residues in food). Executive 
Order 13045 broadens

[[Page 41984]]

consideration of impacts on children by stating that ``each Federal 
agency: shall ensure that its policies, programs, activities, and 
standards address disproportionate risks to children that result from 
environmental health risks or safety risks.'' Many of the comments the 
EPA received on the Proposed Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment 
relate to the implementation of Executive Order 13045. In response to 
these comments and regulatory initiatives, EPA has been investigating 
ways to improve Agency risk assessments for children.
    An Agency workgroup convened under the auspices of the Risk 
Assessment Forum has been exploring children's exposure assessment 
issues. This workgroup has concluded that a major issue facing Agency 
assessors is how to consider age related changes in behavior and 
physiology when preparing exposure assessments for children. Children's 
behavior changes over time in ways that can have an important impact on 
exposure. Further, children's physiology changes over time in ways that 
can impact both their exposures and their susceptibility to certain 
health effects. There are two aspects to these physiological changes. 
First, there are anatomical changes resulting from physical growth. 
Second, there are changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics 
which affect the absorption, distribution, excretion and effects of 
environmental contaminants. The Agency is examining the 
pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic changes in children through other 
efforts and future meetings on this topic are anticipated. This ERG 
hosted workshop will focus on incorporating age related changes in 
behavior and anatomy into Agency exposure assessments.

    Dated: June 29, 2000.
George W. Alapas,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 00-17189 Filed 7-6-00; 8:45 am]
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