[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 220 (Friday, November 14, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 64610]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-28458]


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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION


Public Meeting Concerning Petition for Rule Declaring Natural 
Rubber Latex a Strong Sensitizer

AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (``CPSC'' or 
``Commission'') will conduct a public meeting on December 10, 2003, to 
receive comments concerning Petition HP 00-2, which requested that the 
Commission declare natural rubber latex (``NRL'') to be a strong 
sensitizer under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (``FHSA''). The 
CPSC staff's briefing package recommends that the Commission deny the 
petition. The Commission invites oral presentations from members of the 
public with information or comments related to the petition or the 
staff's briefing package. The Commission will consider these 
presentations as it decides what action to take on the petition.

DATES: The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. on December 10, 2003. Requests 
to make oral presentations, and 10 copies of the text of the 
presentation, must be received by the CPSC Office of the Secretary no 
later than December 3, 2003. Persons making presentations at the 
meeting should provide an additional 25 copies for dissemination on the 
date of the meeting.
    The Commission reserves the right to limit the number of persons 
who make presentations and the duration of their presentations. To 
prevent duplicative presentations, groups will be directed to designate 
a spokesperson.
    Written submissions, in addition to, or instead of, an oral 
presentation may be sent to the address listed below and will be 
accepted until January 10, 2003.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be in room 420 of the Bethesda Towers 
Building, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD. Requests to make oral 
presentations, and texts of oral presentations should be captioned 
``Latex Petition Briefing'' and be mailed to the Office of the 
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207, or 
delivered to that office, room 502, 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, 
Maryland 20814. Requests and texts of oral presentations may also be 
submitted by facsimile to (301) 504-0127 or by e-mail to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the purpose or 
subject matter of this meeting contact Suzanne Barone, Ph.D., 
Directorate for Health Sciences, U.S. Consumer Product Safety 
Commission, Washington, DC 20207; telephone (301) 504-7256; e-mail: 
[email protected]. For information about the schedule for submission of 
requests to make oral presentations and submission of texts of oral 
presentations, contact Rockelle Hammond, Office of the Secretary, 
Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207; telephone 
(301) 504-6833; fax (301) 504-0127; e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

    The Commission received a petition from Debi Adkins, editor of 
Latex Allergy News, requesting that the Commission issue a rule 
declaring natural rubber latex (``NRL'') to be a strong sensitizer 
under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (``FHSA'') and that consumer 
products containing NRL be labeled. The petitioner asserts that a 
portion of the population has developed an allergy to NRL that can 
cause serious allergic reactions, even death. NRL may be in such 
consumer products as gloves, adhesives, shoes, balloons, pacifiers, and 
carpet backing, as well as many medical products.
    The Commission published a notice in the Federal Register on March 
21, 2000, requesting comments on the petition. 65 FR 15133. The 
Commission extended the comment period 30 days. 65 FR 33525. The 
Commission received a total of 85 comments on the petition.
    The staff reviewed the petition, comments and other relevant 
available information. The staff then forwarded a briefing package to 
the Commission, which is available on the Commission's Web site 
www.cpsc.gov or from the Commission's Office of the Secretary. The 
staff recommends that the Commission deny the petition. The staff 
concludes that available data do not support that NRL is a strong 
sensitizer as that term is defined in the FHSA. Current scientific 
information about the development of NRL allergy from consumer products 
that contain NRL is limited, and it does not appear that the 
information will be developed in the near future.
    The FHSA defines the term ``strong sensitizer'' as a ``substance 
which will cause on normal living tissue through an allergic or 
photodynamic process a hypersensitivity which becomes evident on 
reapplication of the same substance'' and which the Commission declares 
to be a strong sensitizer. 15 U.S.C. 1261(k). The FHSA definition 
further states that before making such a declaration, and ``upon 
consideration of the frequency of occurrence and severity of the 
reaction, [the Commission] shall find that the substance has a 
significant potential for causing hypersensitivity.'' Id.

B. The Public Meeting

    The purpose of the public meeting is to provide a forum for oral 
presentations on the NRL petition and the CPSC staff briefing package.
    Participation in the meeting is open. See the DATES section of this 
notice for information on making requests to give oral presentations at 
the meeting and on making written submissions.

    Dated: November 7, 2003.
Todd A. Stevenson,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 03-28458 Filed 11-13-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P