[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 4, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33494-33495]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-13969]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 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, and 
Provide an Update on the Quality Assurance/Administrative Module.
    Date and Time: June 25, 2003; 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
    Place: Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh/Southpointe, 1000 Corporate 
Drive, Canonsburg, 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 Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh/
Southpointe (724/743-5000/ 1-800-HILTON) before the cut-off date of 
June 10, 2003. A group rate of $55 per night has been negotiated for 
meeting guests. The NIOSH/NPPTL Public Meeting must be referenced to 
receive this special rate. 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 (www.cdc.gov/niosh) by selecting Conferences 
and then the event.
    An opportunity to make presentations regarding the conceptual 
discussions of standards and testing processes for escape respirator 
standards suitable for respiratory protection against CBRN Agents will 
be given. Requests to make such 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 on the CBRN topics 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. Participants will be given the opportunity to 
comment on the Quality Assurance/Administrative module.
    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 July 25, 2003, and should reference 
docket number, NIOSH-002, in the subject heading if they pertain to the 
CBRN topics, or reference docket number, NIOSH-001, in the subject 
heading if they pertain to the Quality Assurance/Administrative Module.
    Purpose: NIOSH will continue conceptual discussions of standards 
and testing processes for escape respirator standards suitable for 
respiratory protection against CBRN Agents. In addition, an update on 
the development of the Quality Assurance/ Administrative module will be 
presented.
    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 on these 
topics 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 Web site, address: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl. The June 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.
    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, National Fire Protection Association, and the 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration have

[[Page 33495]]

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 April 17 and 
18, 2001; June 18 and 19, 2002; October 16 and 17, 2002; and April 29, 
2003, 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.
    The Quality Assurance/Administrative update module had been under 
development prior to the introduction of the CBRN topics and has been 
previously presented in an open format, the last of which were public 
meetings held on August 8, 2000, in Washington, DC, and on August 16, 
2000, in San Francisco, California. More recent developments have 
necessitated revisions that will be highlighted at this meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 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 CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

    Dated: May 29, 2003.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-13969 Filed 6-3-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P