[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 97 (Wednesday, May 19, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 28886]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-11341]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7664-5; E-docket Number: ORD-2004-0005]


Proposed Oral Reference Dose (RfD) for Barium and Compounds

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of external peer-review panel meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing 
an external peer-review panel meeting for the draft document entitled, 
``Proposed Oral Reference Dose (RfD) for Barium and Compounds'' (NCEA-
S-1683). The document was prepared by EPA's National Center for 
Environmental Assessment (NCEA) of the Office of Research and 
Development.

DATES: The half-day meeting will begin on June 10, 2004, at 9 a.m. and 
end at 12 p.m. Members of the public may attend as observers.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at American Geophysical Union (AGU) 
Headquarters, 2000 Florida Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20009. Under an 
Interagency Agreement with EPA and the Department of Energy, the Oak 
Ridge Institute of Science and Education (ORISE) is organizing, 
convening, and conducting the peer-review meeting. To attend the 
meeting, register by June 1, 2004, by visiting: http://www.orau.gov/2004bariumreview. Interested parties may also register by contacting 
Leslie Shapard (ORISE) at (865) 241-5784. Space is limited, and 
reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding registration and 
logistics should be directed to Leslie Shapard, Oak Ridge Institute of 
Science and Education (ORISE), MS-17, PO Box 117, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, 
865-241-5784 (telephone), 865-241-3168 (facsimile) or [email protected] 
(email). If you have questions about the document, contact Stiven 
Foster, IRIS Staff, National Center for Environmental Assessment, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; 202-564-2239 
(telephone), 202-565-0075 (facsimile), [email protected] (email). 
See Supplementary Information below regarding access to the document.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EPA is seeking external peer review on 
the draft document entitled: ``Proposed Oral Reference Dose (RfD) for 
Barium and Compounds.'' EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD), 
National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA), developed the 
proposed RfD in response to a Request for Correction that was submitted 
to EPA in 2002. The request was submitted to the Agency in accordance 
with the Guidelines for Ensuring and Maximizing the Quality, 
Objectivity, Utility, and Integrity of Information Disseminated by the 
Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA, 2002). The Request for 
Correction was related to the derivation of the RfD as presented on 
EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database. IRIS is a 
database that contains scientific Agency positions on potential adverse 
human health effects that may result from chronic (or lifetime) 
exposure to specific chemical substances found in the environment. The 
database (available on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/iris) 
contains qualitative and quantitative health effects information for 
more than 500 chemical substances that may be used to support the first 
two steps (hazard identification and dose-response evaluation) of the 
risk assessment process. In response to the Request for Correction, the 
data used to derive the current RfD on IRIS have been re-evaluated by 
NCEA, resulting in the proposed RfD presented in this document.
    EPA has established an official public docket for this peer review 
announcement under Docket ID No. ORD-2004-0005. The official public 
docket consists of the document referenced in this notice and a list of 
charge questions that have been submitted to the external peer 
reviewers. Both the document and charge are available on the Internet 
at http://www.epa.gov/docket/. Once in the system, select ``search,'' 
then key in the appropriate docket identification number (ORD-2004-
0005). A limited number of paper copies are available by contacting the 
IRIS Hotline at (202) 566-1676 or (202) 566-1749 (facsimile). If you 
are requesting a paper copy, please provide your name, mailing address, 
and the document title, ``Proposed Oral Reference Dose (RfD) for Barium 
and Compounds'' (NCEA-S-1683). Copies are not available from ORISE. You 
may also find a copy of the document at the EPA Docket Center Reading 
Room. The address of the Public Reading Room is EPA Docket Center, 
Environmental Protection Agency, Room B102, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001. Visitation is between 8:30 a.m. and 
4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The 
telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744. 
Although a part of the official docket, the public docket does not 
include Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

    Dated: April 30, 2004.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 04-11341 Filed 5-18-04; 8:45 am]
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