[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 86 (Thursday, May 4, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26365-26366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-6755]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8167-1; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2006-0223]


Considerations for Developing Alternative Health Risk Assessment 
Approaches for Addressing Multiple Chemicals, Exposures and Effects; 
External Review Draft

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of peer-review workshop.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing that Eastern Research Group, Inc., an EPA 
contractor for external scientific peer review, plans to convene an 
independent panel of experts and organize and conduct an external peer-
review workshop to review the external review draft document titled, 
``Considerations for Developing Alternative Health Risk Assessment 
Approaches for Addressing Multiple Chemicals, Exposures and Effects; 
External Review Draft'' (EPA/600/R-06/013A). The draft document was 
prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) 
within EPA's Office of Research and Development.
    The external peer-review workshop provides an opportunity for all 
interested parties to comment on the document. EPA is releasing this 
draft document solely for the purpose of pre-dissemination peer review 
under applicable information quality guidelines. This document has not 
been formally disseminated by EPA. It does not represent and should not 
be construed to represent any Agency policy or determination.
    Eastern Research Group, Inc. invites the public to register to 
attend this workshop as observers. In addition, Eastern Research Group, 
Inc. invites the public to give oral and/or provide written comments at 
the workshop regarding the draft document under review. The draft 
document and EPA's peer-review charge are available primarily via the 
Internet on NCEA's home page under the Recent Additions and the Data 
and Publications menus at http://www.epa.gov/ncea. On March 31, 2006, 
EPA announced a 45-day public comment period on the draft document (71 
FR 16306). In preparing a final report, EPA will consider public 
comments it received during the public comment period and will consider 
the Eastern Research Group, Inc. report of the comments and 
recommendations from the external peer-review workshop.

DATES: The peer-review panel workshop will begin on May 25, 2006, at 9 
a.m., adjourning at 5:30 p.m. and will continue on May 26, 2006 at 9 
a.m., adjourning at 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The peer-review workshop will be held at the Andrew W. 
Briedenbach Environmental Research Building, 26 W. Martin Luther King 
Dr., Cincinnati, OH, 45268, in room AG-30. The EPA contractor, Eastern 
Research Group, Inc., is organizing, convening, and conducting the 
peer-review workshop. Observers may attend the meeting of the expert 
panel by filling out the form available on the Internet at https://www2.ergweb.com/projects/conferences/ncea/ or by calling Eastern 
Research Group, Inc.'s conference line between the hours of 9 a.m. and 
5:30 p.m. EST at 781-674-7374 or toll free at 800-803-2833, or by 
faxing a registration request to 781-674-2906 (include full address and 
contact information). Pre-registration is strongly recommended as space 
is limited, and registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-
served basis. The deadline for online pre-registration is May 18, 2006. 
Telephone and fax registrations will continue to be accepted after this 
date, including on-site registration, if space allows.
    The draft ``Considerations for Developing Alternative Health Risk 
Assessment Approaches for Addressing Multiple Chemicals, Exposures and 
Effects; External Review Draft'' (EPA/600/R-06/013A) is available 
primarily via the Internet on the National Center for Environmental 
Assessment's home page under the Recent Additions and

[[Page 26366]]

the Data and Publications menus at http://www.epa.gov/ncea.
    A limited number of paper copies are available from Ms. Donna 
Tucker, Technical Information Manager, NCEA-Cincinnati; telephone: 513-
569-7257; facsimile: 513-569-7916; e-mail: [email protected]. If you 
are requesting a paper copy, please provide your name, your mailing 
address, and the document title, ``Considerations for Developing 
Alternative Health Risk Assessment Approaches for Addressing Multiple 
Chemicals, Exposures and Effects,'' and its EPA publication number, 
EPA/600/R-06/013A.
    Copies are not available from Eastern Research Group, Inc.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding information, 
registration, and logistics for the external peer-review workshop 
should be directed to Eastern Research Group, Inc. at 10 Hartwell 
Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421-3136; by telephone: 781-674-7374 or toll 
free at 800-803-2833; or by facsimile: 781-674-2906; or by e-mail: 
[email protected].
    For technical information, contact Linda K. Teuschler, NCEA-
Cincinnati, by telephone: 513-569-7573; facsimile: 513-487-2539; or e-
mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Summary of Information About the Project/Document

    In EPA's 2003 ``Framework for Cumulative Risk Assessment,'' 
cumulative risk assessment is defined as the evaluation of risks from 
exposures to multiple chemicals and other stressors, and having a 
population focus rather than a source-to-receptor focus. Several 
reports and environmental justice concerns published over the past 11 
years have highlighted the importance of estimating cumulative risks. 
EPA has published several guidance documents dealing with specific 
aspects of cumulative risk, such as chemical mixture risk assessment, 
planning and scoping, stakeholder involvement, and the toxicity from a 
mixture of pesticides sharing a common mode of action. This draft 
document is one contribution to EPA's efforts to address issues related 
to cumulative health risk assessment.
    Existing EPA guidance addresses some of the combination aspects of 
cumulative risk, but none addresses all of the multiples included in 
this report, such as consideration of the composite impact of multiple 
health effects. Among the distinctive new approaches are those for 
grouping chemicals based on exposure characteristics and toxic 
endpoints, multi-route combination of relative potency factors, 
integration of categorical regression modeling of multiple effects with 
additivity approaches, and the emphasis on the iteration and 
collaboration between exposure assessment and dose-response assessment 
to ensure compatible and relevant information. Major findings and 
conclusions in this document are as follows:
     This draft report provides a set of approaches that deal 
with certain complications in cumulative risk assessment, specifically 
those caused by multiple chemicals, exposures and effects, including 
toxicological interactions and environmental transformations of mixture 
component chemicals.
     The scope is focused on the evaluation of health risks 
from exposures to multiple chemicals, including multiple exposure 
routes and times as well as multiple health endpoints.
     Areas of cumulative health risk assessment emphasized in 
this report can often be performed with existing information.
     Exposure and toxicity characterizations of mixtures are 
strongly dependent on mixture composition (chemicals and 
concentrations) and timing of exposures and health effects.
     Qualitative and semiquantitative approaches provided can 
simplify the number of potential combinations of chemicals, exposures, 
and effects to make the cumulative health risk assessment more 
feasible.

II. Workshop Information

    Members of the public may attend the workshop as observers, and 
there will be a limited time for comments from the public in the 
afternoon. Please let Eastern Research Group, Inc. know if you wish to 
make comments during the workshop. (See ADDRESSES section above for 
contact information.) Space is limited, and reservations will be 
accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

    Dated: May 1, 2006.
P.W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
 [FR Doc. E6-6755 Filed 5-3-06; 8:45 am]
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