[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54459-54460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23686]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Notice 
of Meeting

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

    Name: Conceptual Discussions for Powered Air Purifying 
Respirator Standards Development Efforts Used for Respiratory 
Protection Against Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear 
(CBRN) Agents.
    Date and Time: October 16, 2003; 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
    Place: The Radisson Hotel at Waterfront Place, 2 Waterfront 
Place, Morgantown, West Virginia.
    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 at Waterfront 
Place (304/296-1700 or 1-800-333-3333) before the cut-off date of 
October 2, 2003. The following special group rates have been 
negotiated for meeting guests: $66.00 per night for Federal guests 
and $79.00 per night for non-Federal guests. The NIOSH National 
Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) Public Meeting 
must be referenced to receive these special rates. 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 NIOSH 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 powered air 
purifying respirator standards suitable for respiratory protection 
against CBRN Agents will be given. Requests to make such 
presentations at the public meeting should be made by e-mail 
([email protected]) to the NIOSH Event Management Office. All 
requests to present should include 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 Event 
Management 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

[[Page 54460]]

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 November 16, 
2003, and should reference Docket Number NIOSH-010 in the subject 
heading.
    Purpose: NIOSH will initiate conceptual discussions of standards 
and testing processes for powered air purifying respirator standards 
suitable for respiratory protection against CBRN Agents. 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 powered air purifying 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 a copy of the powered air 
purifying respirator CBRN concept paper, as well as earlier versions 
of other concept papers used during the standard development effort, 
from the NPPTL Web site, address: www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl. The 
September 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 powered air purifying respirator CBRN statement of standard. 
The continuing threat of acts of terrorism has 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 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, the National Fire Protection Association, and the 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration 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 
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 hosted 
public meetings on April 17 and 18, 2001; June 18 and 19, 2002; 
October 16 and 17, 2002; April 29, 2003; and June 25, 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.
    For Further Information Contact: NIOSH Event Management, 3610 
Collins Ferry Road, P.O. Box 880, Morgantown, West Virginia 26507-
0880, 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: September 11, 2003.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 03-23686 Filed 9-16-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P