[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 5, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5873-5874]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-2767]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7445-7]


Peer Consultation Workshop on a Proposed Asbestos Cancer Risk 
Assessment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a peer consultation workshop on a 
proposed asbestos cancer risk assessment methodology. The purpose of 
the workshop is to discuss the scientific merit of the proposed 
methodology developed for EPA by Dr. Wayne Berman and Dr. Kenny Crump. 
The proposed methodology distinguishes carcinogenic potency by asbestos 
fiber size and asbestos fiber type and advocates use of a new exposure 
index to characterize carcinogenic risk. Expert panelists will discuss 
many relevant technical issues at the workshop, and observers also will 
be invited to comment. A contractor will prepare a summary report 
documenting the discussions of the peer consultation workshop, and this 
report will be publicly available and become part of EPA's 
administrative record for IRIS. This meeting is being sponsored by 
EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response and by EPA's Office 
of Research and Development.

DATES: The workshop will be held on February 25-27, 2003. The workshop 
hours will be from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 25; from 
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 26; and from 8 a.m. to 12 
noon on Thursday, February 27. Observer comment periods are currently 
scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday.

ADDRESSES: The peer consultation workshop will be held at the Westin 
St. Francis Hotel, 335 Powell Street, San Francisco, California. To 
attend the workshop as an observer, contact Eastern Research Group 
(ERG) either in writing, by electronic mail, or by telephone. ERG's 
contact information for this workshop is: Eastern Research Group, 
Conference Registration, 110 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421-3136; 
phone, 781-674-7374; fax: 781-674-2906; [email protected].
    There is no charge for attending this workshop as an observer, but 
observers are encouraged to register early as the number of seats will 
be limited. Each registrant will receive a confirmation notice, a 
preliminary agenda, and a logistical fact sheet that contains 
directions to the meeting location. Copies of the proposed asbestos 
cancer risk assessment methodology can be obtained prior to the meeting 
from the EPA, OERR web page (www.epa.gov.superfund).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, contact the 
RCRA/CERCLA Call Center at 800-424-9346 or TDD 800-553-7672 (hearing 
impaired). In the Washington, DC metropolitan area, call 703-412-9810 
or TDD 703-412-3323. For more detailed technical information on this 
conference call Richard Troast (703-603-9019) Office of Emergency and 
Remedial Response, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, D.C. 20460-0002, Mail Code 5204G.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA's current assessment of asbestos 
toxicity is based primarily on an asbestos assessment completed in 
1986, and EPA's assessment has not changed substantially since that 
time. The 1986 assessment considers all mineral forms of asbestos and 
all asbestos fiber sizes (i.e., all fibers longer than 5 micrometers) 
to be of equal carcinogenic potency. However, since 1986, there have 
been substantial improvements in asbestos measurement techniques and in 
the understanding of how asbestos exposure contributes to disease. To 
incorporate the knowledge gained over the last 17 years into the 
agency's toxicity assessment for asbestos, EPA oversaw the development 
of a revised

[[Page 5874]]

methodology for conducting risk assessments of asbestos. The proposed 
risk assessment methodology distinguishes between fiber sizes and fiber 
types in estimating potential health risks related to asbestos 
exposure. EPA is convening this peer consultation workshop to seek 
input from a panel of experts on the scientific merit of the proposed 
methodology. The experts will include scientists with extensive 
expertise in relevant fields, such as biostatistics, fiber 
identification, inhalation toxicology, and carcinogenic mechanisms. The 
panelists will be asked to respond to several charge questions that 
address key issues in the proposed methodology, including 
interpretations of epidemiology and toxicology literature, the proposed 
exposure index, and general topics. The product of the peer 
consultation workshop will be a report that summarizes the panelists' 
and observers' comments, conclusions, and recommendations on the 
proposed methodology.

David Lopez,
Director, Region 3/8 Support Center, OERR.
[FR Doc. 03-2767 Filed 2-4-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P