[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 165 (Tuesday, August 26, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51290-51292]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-21697]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service


National Toxicology Program (NTP); Notice of a Meeting of the NTP 
Board of Scientific Counselors

    Pursuant to Pub. L. 92-463, notice is hereby given of a meeting of 
the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Board of Scientific Counselors on 
September 10-11, 2003, in the Rodbell Auditorium, Rall Building at the 
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 111 T. W. 
Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.
    The NTP Board of Scientific Counselors (``the Board'') is composed 
of scientists from the public and private sector and provides primary 
scientific oversight to the NTP.

Agenda

    The meeting being held on September 10-11, 2003, begins each day at 
8:30 a.m. and is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to adjournment with 
attendance limited only by the space available. Persons needing special 
assistance should contact the Executive Secretary (contact information 
below) at least

[[Page 51291]]

seven business days in advance of the meeting. A draft agenda with a 
tentative schedule is provided below. Primary agenda topics include: 
(1) A vision for the NTP that includes its concept and projection of 
new areas into which toxicology will develop in the next 5-10 years; 
(2) a presentation on the development of new, publicly accessible, 
electronic databases for NTP studies; (3) a demonstration of an 
interactive, web-based, 2-D-imaging system to evaluate the pathological 
outcomes of NTP studies; and (4) updates on the NTP testing program 
including the design of studies on radio-frequency radiation from 
cellular phone devices, collaborations with the National Institute of 
Occupational Safety and Health, studies on medicinal herbs and dietary 
supplements and the recommendations of the NTP Interagency Committee 
for Chemical Evaluation and Coordination (ICCEC) for substances 
nominated to the NTP for study. There will also be updates on the NTP 
Board of Scientific Counselors Technical Reports Peer Review Meeting 
held on May 22, 2003, the status of the 11th Edition of the Report on 
Carcinogens and the NTP Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human 
Reproduction. Time is allotted during the meeting for the public to 
present comments to the Board and NTP staff on agenda topics.
    The agenda and background materials on agenda topics, as available, 
will be posted on the NTP Web site (http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov, 
see What's New) or available upon request to the Executive Secretary 
(contact information below). Following the meeting, summary minutes 
will be prepared and available through the NTP web site and upon 
request to Central Data Management, NIEHS, P.O. Box 12233, MD E1-02, 
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709; telephone: 919-541-3419, fax: 919-
541-3687, and e-mail: [email protected].

ICCEC Recommendations for Substances Nominated for Future NTP Studies

    Information about substances nominated to the NTP for toxicology 
and carcinogenesis studies and the ICCEC's recommendations were 
published in the Federal Register on July 16, 2003 (Vol. 68, No. 136, 
p. 42068-71). This notice is available on the Web (http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/htdocs/Liason/ICCECFinal02JuneFR.html) along with 
supporting documents for each nomination (http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/htdocs/liason/BkgrSum02June.html) or by contacting 
the NTP Executive Secretary (contact information below). This meeting 
provides an additional opportunity for the public to provide comment on 
these nominations and study recommendations to the Board and NTP staff. 
Comments submitted to the NTP in response to the July 2003 Federal 
Register notice are under consideration and do not need to be 
resubmitted or readdressed.

Public Comment Encouraged

    Public input at this meeting is invited and time is set aside for 
the presentation of public comments on any agenda topic. At least 7 
minutes will be allotted to each speaker, and if time permits, may be 
extended to 10 minutes. Each organization is allowed one time slot per 
agenda topic. Persons registering to make oral comments are asked to 
provide their name, affiliation, mailing address, phone, fax, e-mail, 
and sponsoring organization (if any). To facilitate planning for the 
meeting, persons interested in providing formal oral comments are asked 
to notify Dr. Barbara Shane, NTP Executive Secretary, NIEHS, P.O. Box 
12233, MD A3-01, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709; telephone: 919-541-
0530; and e-mail: [email protected] by September 2, 2003. Persons may 
also submit written comments in lieu of making oral comments. Written 
comments should be sent to the Executive Secretary and must be received 
by September 2, 2003, to enable review by the Board and NTP staff prior 
to the meeting. Persons submitting written comments should include 
their name, affiliation, mailing address, phone, fax, e-mail, and 
sponsoring organization (if any) with the document.
    Individuals will also be able to register to give oral public 
comments on-site at the meeting. However, if registering on-site and 
reading from written text, please bring 30 copies of the statement for 
distribution to the Board and NTP staff and to supplement the record.

Registration

    The NTP Board of Scientific Counselors meeting is open to the 
public. Attendance at this meeting is limited only by the space 
available. Due to changes in security policies at the NIEHS, 
individuals who plan to attend are asked to pre-register with the 
Executive Secretary (contact information above). The names of those 
registered will be given to the NIEHS Security Office in order to gain 
access to the campus. Persons attending who have not pre-registered may 
be asked to provide pertinent information about the meeting, i.e., 
title or host of meeting before gaining access to the campus. All 
visitors (whether or not you are pre-registered) will need to be 
prepared to show 2 forms of identification (ID), i.e., driver's license 
and one other form of ID, such as company ID, government ID, or 
university ID.

NTP Board of Scientific Counselors

    The Board is a technical advisory body comprised of scientists from 
the public and private sectors who provide primary scientific oversight 
to the overall program and its centers. Specifically, the Board advises 
the NTP on matters of scientific program content, both present and 
future, and conducts periodic review of the program for the purposes of 
determining and advising on the scientific merit of its activities and 
their overall scientific quality. Its members are selected from 
recognized authorities knowledgeable in fields, such as toxicology, 
pharmacology, pathology, biochemistry, epidemiology, risk assessment, 
carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, molecular biology, behavioral toxicology 
and neurotoxicology, immunotoxicology, reproductive toxicology or 
teratology, and biostatistics. The NTP strives for equitable geographic 
distribution and minority and female representation on the Board. Its 
members are invited to serve overlapping terms of up to four years and 
meetings are held once or twice annually for the Board and its two 
standing subcommittees (the Report on Carcinogens Subcommittee and the 
Technical Reports Review Subcommittee).

    Dated: August 12, 2003.
Kenneth Olden,
Director, National Toxicology Program.

Preliminary Agenda: National Toxicology Program (NTP) Board of 
Scientific Counselors: September 10-11, 2003

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Rodbell 
Auditorium, Rall Building, 111 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle 
Park, NC.

September 10, 2003
8:30 a.m.--Welcome and Opening Comments.
    NTP Update.
    A Vision for the NTP.
    NTP Databases.
11:45 a.m.--Lunch.
1 p.m.--Imaging Technology for Pathological Evaluations.
    Research Highlights
    [sbull] Carbonyl Sulfide;
    [sbull] Endocrine Disrupting Agents.

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    NTP Study Updates
    [sbull] Design of Study on Radio-frequency Radiation Emissions;
    [sbull] NTP-NIOSH Collaborations;
    [sbull] Medicinal Herbs and Dietary Supplements.
5 p.m.--Adjourn
September 11, 2003
8:30 a.m.--Welcome and Introductions.
    NTP Testing Program Study Nominations.
    NTP-USGS Collaboration to Map Mercury Levels in Fish on a National 
Scale.
    NTP Updates.
    [sbull] Statistical Issues in Phototoxicology Studies;
    [sbull] Technical Reports Peer Review Meeting on May 22, 2003;
    [sbull] Report on Carcinogens;
    [sbull] NTP Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human 
Reproduction.
    Other Business.
11:30 a.m.--Adjourn.

[FR Doc. 03-21697 Filed 8-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P