[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 69 (Thursday, April 10, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17654-17655]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-8738]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Meeting 
Notice

    The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces the 
following meeting:

    Name: Continue Conceptual Discussions for Escape Respirator 
Standards Development Efforts Used for Respiratory Protection 
Against Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) 
Agents.
    Time and Date: 9 a.m.--5 p.m., April 29, 2003.
    Place: Radisson Hotel Pittsburgh Green Tree, 101 Radisson Drive, 
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
    Status: This meeting is hosted by NIOSH and will be open to the 
public, limited only by the space available. The meeting room will 
accommodate approximately 175 people. Interested parties should make 
hotel reservations directly with the Radisson Hotel Pittsburgh Green 
Tree (412-922-8400 or 800-333-3333) before the cut off date of April 
21, 2003, referencing the NIOSH/NPPTL Public Meeting. Interested 
parties should confirm their attendance to this meeting by 
completing a registration form and forwarding it by e-mail 
([email protected]) or fax (304-285-4459) to the Event 
Management Office. A registration form may be obtained from the 
NIOSH Homepage (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh) by selecting 
``Conferences,'' and then the event.
    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, E-mail [email protected]. All 
requests to present should contain the name, address, telephone 
number, 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 his or her 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 May 30, 2003, 
and should reference docket number, NIOSH-002, in the subject 
heading.
    Purpose: NIOSH will continue conceptual discussions of standards 
and testing processes for an Escape Respirator standard suitable for 
respiratory protection against CBRN Agents and review ongoing 
research to identify simulata materials for use as CBRN test 
surrogates for respirator research. 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 for the 
Escape Respirator CBRN standard. Participants will be given an 
opportunity to ask questions and to present individual comments for 
consideration. Interested participants may obtain the latest copy of 
the Escape Respirator CBRN concept paper, as well as earlier 
versions of the concept papers used during the standard development 
effort, from the NIOSH contact identified below, or from the NIOSH 
National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) Web site, 
address: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl. The April 15, 2003, concept 
paper will be used as the basis for discussion at the public 
meeting, as well as forming the basis for the new Escape Respirator 
CBRN statement of standard.

[[Page 17655]]

    Recent acts of terrorism have created an urgent awareness of 
domestic security and preparedness issues. Municipal, state, 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 
resource 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, 
National Fire Protection Association, and the Occupational Safety 
and Health Administration have entered into a Memorandum of 
Understanding defining each agency's 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 April 17 
and 18, 2001; June 18 and 19, 2002; and October 16 and 17, 2002, 
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 of 
evaluating test methods and performance standards that may be 
applicable in future CBRN respirator standards or guidelines, were 
discussed at these meetings.
    Contact for Additional Information: Event Management, P.O. Box 
880, 3610 Collins Ferry Road, Morgantown, WV 26507, Telephone 304-
285-4750, Fax 304-285-4459, 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: April 3, 2003.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-8738 Filed 4-9-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P