[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 222 (Thursday, November 18, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67582-67583]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-25594]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


National Personal Protective Technology Labs (NPPTL), National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Announces the Following Meeting

    Name: Continued Discussions for Concepts of Powered Air-Purifying 
Respirator (PAPR) Standards and Introduction of Concepts for Closed 
Circuit, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Standards Development 
Efforts Used for Respiratory Protection Against Chemical, Biological, 
Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Agents.
    Date and Time: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., December 15, 2004.
    Place: Sheraton Station Square, 7 Station Square Drive, Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania.
    Purpose: NIOSH will continue discussions of conceptual standards 
and testing processes for PAPR standards suitable for respiratory 
protection against CBRN agents. NIOSH also wishes to introduce 
conceptual requirements for Closed Circuit, Self-Contained Breathing 
Apparatus suitable for respiratory protection against CBRN agents.
    NIOSH, along with the U.S. Army Research, Development and 
Engineering Command (RDECOM, formerly SBCCOM) and the National 
Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), will present information 
to attendees concerning the concept development for the PAPR CBRN 
standard and the Closed Circuit, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus 
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 PAPR 
CBRN concept paper and the Closed Circuit, Self-Contained Breathing 
Apparatus concept paper, as well as earlier versions of other concept 
papers used during the standard development effort, from the NIOSH 
NPPTL Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl. The October 30, 2004, 
concept papers will be used as the basis for discussion at the public 
meeting.
    Municipal, state, and federal responder groups, particularly in 
locations considered potential terrorism targets, have been developing 
and modifying response and consequence management plans for domestic 
security and preparedness issues. Since the World Trade Center and 
anthrax incidents, most emergency response agencies have operated with 
a heightened appreciation of the potential scope and sustained resource 
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,

[[Page 67583]]

NIST, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration have 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 has initiated 
Interagency Agreements with NIOSH and RDECOM 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, RDECOM, and NIST have hosted public meetings on April 17 and 
18, 2001; June 18 and 19, 2002; October 16 and 17, 2002; April 29, 
2003; June 25, 2003; October 16, 2003; and May 4, 2004, 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.
    Three NIOSH CBRN respirator standards and several NFPA standards 
for ensembles, SCBA, and protective clothing were the first adopted by 
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). On February 26, 2004, 
DHS adopted, as DHS standards, three NIOSH criteria for testing and 
certifying respirators for protection against CBRN exposures. NIOSH 
uses the criteria to test (1) SCBA for use by emergency responders 
against CBRN, (2) APR for use by emergency responders against CBRN 
exposures, and (3) escape respirators for protection against CBRN.
    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 150 people.
    Interested parties should make hotel reservations directly with the 
Sheraton Station Square (412) 261-2000 / 1-888-325-3535) before the 
cut-off date of November 30, 2004. A special group rate of $85 per 
night for meeting guests has been negotiated for this meeting. The 
NIOSH/NPPTL Public Meeting must be referenced to receive this special 
rate. Interested parties should confirm their attendance at this 
meeting by completing a registration form and forwarding it by e-mail 
([email protected]) or fax (304-225-2003) to the NPPTL Event 
Management Office. A registration form may be obtained from the NIOSH 
Homepage (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh) by selecting conferences and then 
the event.
    An opportunity to make presentations regarding the discussions of 
concepts for standards and testing processes for PAPR standards and for 
Closed Circuit, Self-Contained, Breathing Apparatus 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 to the NPPTL Event Management Office ([email protected]). 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, NPPTL 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 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 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 in 
Microsoft Word. Comments should be submitted to NIOSH no later than 
January 31, 2005. Comments regarding CBRN PAPR should reference Docket 
Number NIOSH-010 in the subject heading; and comments regarding the 
CBRN Closed Circuit, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus should 
reference Docket Number NIOSH-039.
    Contact for Additional Information: NPPTL Event Management, 3604 
Collins Ferry Road, Suite 100, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505-2353, 
Telephone 304-599-5941 x138, Fax 304-225-2003, 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 CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

    Dated: November 12, 2004.
B. Kathy Skipper,
Acting Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 04-25594 Filed 11-17-04; 8:45 am]
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