[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 188 (Friday, September 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 61108]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24578]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Conceptual Discussions for Full Facepiece Air-Purifying 
Respirators (APR) Standards and Air-Purifying Escape Respirator 
Standards Development Efforts for Respiratory Protection Against 
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Agents

    The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
following meeting.

    Name: Conceptual Discussions for full facepiece Air-Purifying 
Respirators (APR) Standards and Air-Purifying Escape Respirator 
Standards Development Efforts for Respiratory Protection Against 
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Agents.
    Times and Dates: 1 p.m.-5 p.m., October 16, 2002.
    8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., October 17, 2002.
    Place: Hilton Garden Inn, 1000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, 
Pennsylvania.
    Status: This meeting is hosted by NIOSH. The meeting will be 
open to the public, limited only by the space available. Interested 
parties should make hotel reservations directly with the Hilton, 
referencing the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory 
Booking. Interested parties should confirm their attendance by 
either emailing their intention to attend to [email protected], or by 
contacting NIOSH at (412) 386-4000.
    Requests to make presentations at the public meeting should be 
mailed to the NIOSH Docket Officer, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, M/S 
C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, telephone (513) 
533-8303, fax (513) 533-8285, or e-mailed to [email protected]. 
All requests to present should contain the name, address, telephone 
number, and relevant business affiliations of the presenter, a brief 
summary of the presentation, and the approximate time requested for 
the presentation. Oral presentations should be limited to 15 
minutes. After reviewing the requests for presentations, NIOSH will 
notify each presenter of the approximate time that their 
presentation is scheduled to begin. If a participant is not present 
when their presentation is scheduled to begin, the remaining 
participants will be heard in order. At the conclusion of the 
meeting, an attempt will be made to allow presentations by any 
scheduled participants who missed their assigned times. Attendees 
who wish to speak but did not submit a request for the opportunity 
to make a presentation may be given this opportunity at the 
conclusion of the meeting, at the discretion of the presiding 
officer.
    Comments on the topics presented in this notice and at the 
meeting should be mailed to the NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft 
Laboratories, M/S C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 
45226, telephone 513-533-8303, fax 513/533-8285. Comments may also 
be submitted by e-mail to: [email protected]. e-mail attachments 
should be formatted as WordPerfect 6/7/8/9, or Microsoft Word. 
Comments should be submitted to NIOSH no later than November 15, 
2002, and should reference docket number, NIOSH-002, in the subject 
heading.
    Purpose: The purpose of the meeting is to continue conceptual 
discussions for full face piece APR CBRN standards and review 
research efforts to identify stimulant materials for use as CBRN 
test surrogates for respirator research and development efforts; and 
to initiate discussion of concepts being considered for CBRN air-
purifying escape respirator standards. NIOSH, along with the U.S. 
Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command (SBCCOM) and the 
National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), will present 
information to attendees concerning the concept development of the 
APR CBRN standards, as well as concepts being considered for the 
air-purifying escape respirator CBRN standards. Participants will be 
given an opportunity to ask questions and to present individual 
comments for consideration. Interested participants may obtain the 
latest copies of the APR CBRN and air-purifying escape respirator 
CBRN concept papers, as well as earlier versions of the concept 
papers used during the standards development effort, from the NIOSH 
contact identified below, or from the NIOSH National Personal 
Protective Technology Laboratory Web site, address: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl. The September 16, 2002, APR CBRN concept 
paper will be used as the basis for discussion at the public 
meeting, as well as forming the basis for the new APR CBRN statement 
of standards.
    Recent acts of terrorism have created an urgent awareness of 
domestic security and preparedness issues. Municipal, states, and 
federal responder groups, particularly those in locations considered 
potential targets, have been developing and modifying response and 
consequence management plans. Since the World Trade Center and 
anthrax incidents, most emergency response agencies have operated 
with a heightened appreciation of the potential scope and sustained 
resources requirements for coping with such events. The Federal 
Interagency Board for Equipment Standardization and Interoperability 
(IAB) has worked to identify personal protective equipment that is 
already available on the market for responders' use. The IAB has 
identified the development of standards or guidelines for 
respiratory protection equipment as a top priority. NIOSH, NIST, the 
National Fire Protection Association and the Occupational Safety and 
Health Administration have entered into a Memorandum of 
Understanding defining each agency or organization's role in 
developing, establishing, and enforcing standards or guidelines for 
responders' respiratory protective devices. NIST has initiated 
Interagency Agreements with NIOSH and SBCCOM to aid in the 
development of appropriate protection standards or guidelines. NIOSH 
has the lead in developing standards or guidelines to test, evaluate 
and approve respirators.
    NIOSH, SBCCOM, and NIST have hosted public meetings on June 18 
and 19, 2002, and April 17 and 18, 2001, presenting their progress 
in assessing respiratory protection needs of responders to CBRN 
incidents. The methods or models for developing hazard and exposure 
estimates, and the status in evaluating test methods and performance 
standards that may be applicable as future CBRN respirator standards 
or guidelines were discussed at these meetings. On December 28, 
2001, NIOSH announced standards for the evaluation and approval of 
self-contained breathing apparatus to protect emergency responders 
against CBRN agents. NIOSH, SBCCOM, and NIST are in the process of 
developing CBRN respiratory protection standards and guidelines for 
full facepiece APR and air-purifying escape respirators, as well as 
other classes of respirators. The October 16 and 17, 2002, public 
meeting will continue conceptual discussions for the CBRN APR, as 
well as introduce concepts being considered for the CBRN air-
purifying escape respirators.
    Contact Persons for Additional Information: Mr. Jonathan 
Szalajda, NIOSH, PO Box 18070, 626 Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, 
PA 15236, telephone (412) 386-6627, fax (412) 386-6747 and/or e-
mail: [email protected].
    The Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, has been 
delegated the authority to sign Federal Register Notices pertaining 
to announcements of meetings and other committee management 
activities, for both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

    Dated: September 23, 2002.
John Burckhardt,
Acting Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention.

[FR Doc. 02-24578 Filed 9-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P