[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 107 (Monday, June 5, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32350-32351]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8652]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Notice of Public Input Opportunity

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
announces the following:
    Availability of opportunity for the Public to provide input on a 
proposed document:

``Laboratory and Field Performance of a Respirable Personal Dust 
Monitor''

    The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
is the Federal agency responsible for conducting research and making 
recommendations for the prevention of occupational injuries and 
illnesses, including those occurring in the mining industry. Federal 
Mine Safety and Health Act, 30 U.S.C. 951. The Secretary of Labor and 
the Federal Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Pneumoconiosis 
Among Coal Mine Workers requested NIOSH to conduct research to improve 
sampling

[[Page 32351]]

instrumentation for use in the mining industry. NIOSH worked with 
industry, labor, and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) 
to develop and test a new type of instrument known as the Personal Dust 
Monitor (PDM). The PDM is designed to be an integral part of the cap 
lamp that miners normally carry to work and provides continuous 
information about the amount of respirable coal mine dust in the 
breathing zone of that individual. Laboratory testing was conducted to 
verify the instruments' accuracy, as received from the manufacturer, 
and after a period of underground use of the instruments. Under the 
broad range of test conditions the PDM provided equal or better 
functioning than the current coal mine dust sampler in terms of 
availability for use, accuracy, precision, and miner acceptance; while 
also providing real-time data to miners wearing the units.
    We are seeking comment on the draft document, ``Laboratory and 
Field Performance of a Respirable Personal Dust Monitor,'' which is 
available at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/dustmonitor/.
    If you would prefer to have a hard copy rather than electronic, 
please contact NIOSH at the address shown below and we will mail or fax 
a copy to you. Please submit your comment on this document to 
[email protected] or mail them to: NIOSH Mailstop: C-34, Robert A. 
Taft Lab., 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226.
    The draft report will remain available for public comment until 
June 30, 2006. After that date, NIOSH will post the public comments 
received on the NIOSH Web site. NIOSH will review all of the comments 
submitted and make appropriate revisions to the draft document before 
the document is finalized.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jon C. Volkwein, CDC/NIOSH, 
Respiratory Hazards Control Branch, 626 Cochrans Mill Rd., Pittsburgh, 
PA 15236. 412-386-6689.
    Information requests can also be submitted by e-mail to 
[email protected].

    Dated: May 26, 2006.
John Howard,
Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. E6-8652 Filed 6-2-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P