[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 24, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29954-29955]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-4817]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8174-3; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2006-0134]


A Framework for Assessing Health Risks of Environmental Exposures 
to Children

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, 
``A Framework for Assessing Health Risks of Environmental Exposures to 
Children'' (EPA/600/R-05/093A). The draft document was prepared by the 
National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA's Office 
of Research and Development. This document is available on the Internet 
at: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay/cfm?deid=150263.
    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 14, 2006, EPA announced a 45-day public 
comment period on the draft document (71 FR 13125). The public comment 
period and the external peer review workshop are separate processes 
that provide opportunities for all interested parties to comment on the 
document. EPA has provided Eastern Research Group, Inc. with the public 
comments EPA received. 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

[[Page 29955]]

from the external peer-review workshop.

DATES: The peer-review panel workshop will begin on June 6, 2006, at 
8:30 a.m. and end at Noon on June 7, 2006.

ADDRESSES: The peer-review workshop will be held at Hyatt Regency on 
Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Avenue, NW. The EPA contractor, Eastern 
Research Group, Inc., is organizing, convening, and conducting the peer 
review workshop. To attend the workshop, register by May 31, 2006, by 
calling Eastern Research Group, Inc. at 781-674-7374, sending a 
facsimile to 781-674-2906, or sending an e-mail to [email protected]. 
You may also register via the Internet at https://www2.ergweb.com/projects/conferences/ncea/childhra.htm. 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. 
Space is limited, and reservations will be accepted on a first-come, 
first-served basis.
    The draft ``A Framework for Assessing Health Risks of Environmental 
Exposures to Children'' is available primarily via the Internet on the 
National Center for Environmental Assessment's home page under the 
Recent Additions and the Data and Publications menus at http://www.epa.gov/ncea. A limited number of paper copies are available from 
the Technical Information Staff, NCEA-W; telephone: 202-564-3261; 
facsimile: 202-565-0050. If you are requesting a paper copy, please 
provide your name, mailing address, and the document title, ``A 
Framework for Assessing Health Risks of Environmental Exposures to 
Children''. 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., 100 Hartwell 
Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421-3136; telephone: 781-674-7260; facsimile: 
781-674-2906; e-mail [email protected].
    For information on the public comment period, contact the Office of 
Environmental Information Docket; telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile: 
202-566-1753; or e-mail: [email protected].
    If you need technical information about the document, please 
contact Stan Barone Jr., National Center for Environmental Assessment 
(NCEA); telephone: 202-564-3308; facsimile: 202-565-0076; e-mail 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About the Document

    Over the past decade there has been a dramatic increase in the 
recognition and public health concern for the vulnerability of children 
to exposure to environmental agents. Children have unusual patterns of 
exposure and have vulnerabilities to chemical agents that are quite 
distinct from those of adults, and thus require special consideration 
in risk assessment. Children often have disproportionately higher 
exposures to certain environmental toxicants because, pound-for-pound 
of body weight, children have higher food and water intake and breathe 
more air than adults. Metabolic pathways in the young, especially in 
the first few months after birth, are immature, and the ability to 
detoxify environmental agents is different from that of adults. In 
addition, behavior and activity patterns of children often magnify 
their exposures. These factors imply that children are likely to have 
more substantial exposures than adults to certain environmental agents. 
This document attempts to organize and present current knowledge and 
practices in a programmatic framework for assessing human health risks 
from exposures to environmental agents from prior to conception through 
adolescence.
    It describes this framework within the current Agency risk 
assessment paradigm, and includes problem formulation, analysis and 
risk characterization as discrete steps in the process. Moreover, this 
document focuses on mode of action as a context for considering the 
toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic differences between children and 
adults, and considers approaches for risk assessment in the context of 
uncertainty and variability in exposure and critical windows of 
development.

    Dated: May 18, 2006.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 06-4817 Filed 5-23-06; 8:45 am]
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