[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 117 (Wednesday, June 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36546-36547]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-15364]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7514-8]


Technical Peer Review Meeting on the Draft Document Entitled, 
Exposure and Human Health Evaluation of Airborne Pollution from the 
World Trade Center Disaster

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 
technical peer review meeting, organized and convened by Versar, Inc., 
a contractor to the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) 
within EPA's Office of Research and Development, for review of the 
draft document entitled, Exposure and Human Health Evaluation of 
Airborne Pollution from the World Trade Center Disaster (EPA/600/P-02/
002A). The document was prepared by NCEA. The draft document was 
already subjected to public review and comment. NCEA will consider 
those public comments and any additional comments provided by the 
expert peer-review panel in revising the document.

DATES: The peer review meeting will be held on Monday, July 14 and 
Tuesday, July 15, 2003, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., eastern daylight time 
(EDT) each day. On December 27, 2002, the draft report was announced in 
the Federal Register (67 FR 79079) and made available for a 60-day 
public comment period that ended on February 25, 2003. The comment 
period was subsequently extended (Federal Register (68 FR

[[Page 36547]]

10723) dated March 6, 2003) until April 7, 2003. Copies of the public 
comments received by EPA have been provided to the expert peer 
reviewers.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Sofitel New York Hotel, 45 
West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036; telephone (212) 354-8844. Versar, 
Inc., an EPA contractor, will convene and facilitate the meeting. To 
attend the meeting as an observer, register by July 10, 2003, 5 p.m. 
EDT by visiting http://www.versar.com/epa/wtcpeerreview.htm or 
contacting Ms. Traci Bludis, Versar, Inc.; telephone: (703) 750-3000, 
extension 449; facsimile: (703) 642-6954; e-mail: [email protected]. 
There will be a limited time for oral comments from the public 
(registration is required). If you wish to make a statement during the 
observer comment period of the workshop, please check the appropriate 
box when you register at the Web site. Space is limited, and 
registration for attendance and oral comments will be accepted on a 
first-come, first-served basis.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For workshop information and logistics 
please contact Versar, Inc. The draft document, Exposure and Human 
Health Evaluation of Airborne Pollution from the World Trade Center 
Disaster, is available via the Internet on the NCEA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/ncea/wtc.htm. Copies are not available from Versar, Inc. 
For information regarding the draft document, please contact Linda C. 
Tuxen, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and 
Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment (8601-D), 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone: (202) 564-3332; fax: (202) 565-0090; 
e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Immediately following the September 11, 
2001, terrorist attack on New York City's World Trade Center, many 
federal agencies, including the EPA, were called upon to focus their 
technical and scientific expertise on the national emergency issues. 
EPA, other federal agencies, New York City, and New York State public 
health and environmental authorities focused on numerous air monitoring 
activities to better understand the ongoing human health impact of the 
disaster. Many EPA offices and programs quickly became involved with 
these activities, providing scientific, engineering, public health, and 
management expertise to help cope with the aftereffects of the collapse 
of the World Trade Center.
    As part of these activities, a human health evaluation of exposure 
to air pollutants resulting from the World Trade Center disaster was 
initiated. This draft evaluation is the subject of the technical peer 
review meeting announced today. The primary purpose and scope of the 
draft report were to evaluate the environmental levels of various air 
pollutants to which the public could potentially be exposed as a result 
of the collapse of the towers. These data were evaluated in terms of 
available health benchmark concentrations and typical background 
concentrations for New York City or other urban areas. The draft 
evaluation concludes that, with the exception of those exposed 
immediately following the collapse and perhaps during the next few 
days, people in the surrounding community are not likely to suffer from 
serious long- or short-term health effects. While the primary focus of 
EPA's draft evaluation is on outdoor levels of various air pollutants 
to which the public could potentially be exposed as a result of the 
collapse of the towers, some information on indoor and occupational 
exposures is summarized in EPA's draft report.
    Both the processes of public review and comment and expert 
scientific peer review are the usual steps that EPA takes to ensure 
full and open participation by interested parties. These steps help EPA 
identify areas where a draft document could be improved to strengthen 
both clarity and completeness of the draft. Comments from the public 
and from the expert peer reviewers during this meeting will be used to 
improve the draft report before it is finalized.

    Dated: June 12, 2003.
George W. Alapas,
Deputy Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 03-15364 Filed 6-17-03; 8:45 am]
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