[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 117 (Monday, June 20, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35445-35446]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-12057]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

    Name: Discussion of Concepts for Standards for Approval of 
Respirators for Use against Chemical, Biological, Radiological and 
Nuclear Agents (CBRN) and Guidelines for their Use; and Concepts for 
Standards for a Multi-Function Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR).
    Dates and Times: July 19, 2005; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. July 20, 2005; 8:30 
a.m.-3 p.m.
    The Meeting on July 19 will address concepts for standards for CBRN 
Closed Circuit, Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and 
guidelines for use of NIOSH approved CBRN respirators. The Meeting on 
July 20 will address concepts for standards for a CBRN Powered Air 
Purifying Respirator and a Multi-Function PAPR.
    Place: Holiday Inn Select Pittsburgh South, 164 Fort Couch Road, 
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
    Purpose: NIOSH will continue discussions of concepts for standards 
and testing processes for PAPR and Closed Circuit, SCBA suitable for 
respiratory protection against CBRN agents. NIOSH will also introduce 
concepts for establishing multi-function PAPR requirements and 
guidelines for use of NIOSH-approved CBRN respirators. NIOSH, along 
with the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command 
(RDECOM) and the National Institute for Standards and Technology 
(NIST), will present information to attendees concerning the concept 
development for the CBRN PAPR standard and the CBRN Closed Circuit, 
SCBA 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 CBRN 
PAPR, the Multi-Function PAPR concept paper, the CBRN Closed Circuit, 
Self Contained Breathing Apparatus concept paper, and concepts for the 
guidance documents, as well as earlier versions of other concept papers 
used during the standard development effort, from the NIOSH National 
Personnel Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) web site, address: 
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl. The June 20, 2005, 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, 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 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; May 4, 2004; and December 15, 
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) PAPR 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,

[[Page 35446]]

limited only by the space available. The meeting room will accommodate 
approximately 150 people. Interested parties should make hotel 
reservations directly with the Holiday Inn Select Pittsburgh South 
(412-833-5300 or 1-800-HOLIDAY) before the cut-off date of June 27, 
2005. A special group rate of $94 per night for meeting guests has been 
negotiated for this meeting. The NIOSH/NPPTL Public Meeting must be 
referenced to receive this rate. Interested parties should confirm 
their attendance to this meeting by completing a registration form and 
forwarding it by e-mail ([email protected]) or fax (304-225-2003) 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, SCBA Breathing Apparatus standards suitable for 
respiratory protection against CBRN agents, multi-function PAPRs for 
industrial applications, and guidelines for use of NIOSH-approved CBRN 
respirators 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 presentation, 
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: 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 in Microsoft Word. Comments should be submitted to 
NIOSH no later than August 19, 2005. Comments regarding the Multi-
Function PAPR should reference Docket Number NIOSH-008 in the subject 
heading. Comments regarding CBRN PAPR should reference Docket Number 
NIOSH-010 in the subject heading. Comments regarding the CBRN Closed 
Circuit, SCBA 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 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency 
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

    Dated: June 14, 2005.
Alvin Hall,
Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 05-12057 Filed 6-17-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P