[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 146 (Tuesday, July 31, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41755-41757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-14689]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


National Toxicology Program (NTP); Report on Carcinogens (RoC) 
Availability of the Draft Background Documents on Captafol and ortho-
Nitrotoluene and Request for Public Comment on the Draft Background 
Documents; Announcement of the Captafol and the ortho-Nitrotoluene 
Expert Panel Meeting

AGENCY: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS); 
National Institutes of Health (NIH).

ACTION: Request for public comments and meeting announcement.

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SUMMARY: The NTP announces the availability of the draft background 
documents for captafol and ortho-nitrotoluene on August 1, 2007, from 
the RoC Web site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/10091 see captafol or 
ortho-nitrotoluene) or in printed text from the RoC (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT below). The NTP invites the submission of public 
comments on the two draft background documents (see SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION below). The expert panel will meet on October 15-16, 2007, 
at the Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to peer 
review the draft background documents for captafol and ortho-
nitrotoluene and once completed make a recommendation regarding the 
listing status (i.e., known to be a human carcinogen, reasonably 
anticipated to be a human carcinogen, or not to list) for captafol and 
ortho-nitrotoluene in the 12th Edition of the RoC (12th RoC). The RoC 
expert panel meeting is open to the public with time scheduled for oral 
public comments. Attendance is limited only by the available meeting 
room space. Following the expert panel meeting and completion of the 
expert panel report, the NTP will post the final version of the 
background documents and the expert panel peer review reports on the 
RoC Web site.

DATES: The expert panel meeting for captafol and ortho-nitrotoluene 
will be held on October 15-16, 2007. The draft background documents for 
these

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substances will be available for public comment on August 1, 2007. The 
deadline to submit written comments is October 3, 2007, and the 
deadline for pre-registration to attend the meeting and provide oral 
comments at the meeting is October 10, 2007. Persons needing special 
assistance, such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable 
accommodation in order to attend, should contact 919-541-2475 (voice), 
919-541-4644 TTY (text telephone), through the Federal TTY Relay System 
at 800-877-8339, or by e-mail to: [email protected]. Requests 
should be made at least seven business days in advance of the event.

ADDRESSES: The RoC expert panel meeting on captafol and ortho-
nitrotoluene will be held at the Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel [One Europa 
Drive, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514, Phone: (919) 968-4900 FAX: 
(919) 968-3520]. Access to on-line registration and materials for the 
meeting is available on the RoC Web site: (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/roc see Expert Panel Meetings). Comments on the draft background 
documents should be sent to Dr. C.W. Jameson, RoC Director, NIEHS, P.O. 
Box 12233, MD EC-14, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, FAX: (919) 541-
0144, or [email protected]. Courier address: Report on Carcinogens, 
79 T.W. Alexander Drive, Building 4401, Room 3118, Research Triangle 
Park, NC 27709.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. C.W. Jameson, RoC Director, 919-
541-4096, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On April 16, 2007 (72 FR 18999 available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/9732), NTP announced the RoC review process for 
the 12th RoC. Captafol and ortho-nitrotoluene are the first two 
substances (of a total of 14 candidate substances) to undergo formal 
review. The draft background documents for these two candidate 
substances will be available on the RoC Web site on August 1, 2007, or 
in printed text from the RoC Director (see ADDRESSES above). 
Availability of the draft background documents for other candidate 
substances will be announced via the NTP listserv and on the RoC Web 
site and expert panel meetings to review these substances will be 
announced via the Federal Register. Persons can register free-of-charge 
with the NTP listserv to receive notification when draft background 
documents are posted (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/231).
    Captafol (CAS RN: 2425-06-1) is a broad-spectrum fungicide that was 
widely used in the United States prior to the mid 1980s on fruits, 
vegetables, and other plants, as well as on timber products. In 1999, 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revoked all captafol 
tolerances except those for onions, potatoes, and tomatoes. Although 
many countries have now banned its use, captafol is still registered in 
some countries (such as Mexico). The Food and Drug Administration 
continues to monitor for captafol residues in domestic and imported 
food. The potential exists for past, extensive exposure for workers 
producing captafol and for agricultural workers because of past 
production and use of millions of pounds of captafol.
    Ortho-Nitrotoluene (CAS RN: 88-72-2) is used to synthesize 
agricultural and organic chemicals, explosives, azo and sulfur dyes, 
and dyes for cotton, wool, silk, leather, and paper. ortho-Nitrotoluene 
is a high production volume (HPV) chemical, and its U.S. production was 
between 10 million and 50 million pounds for every four-year reporting 
period from 1986 to 2002. Exposure to ortho-nitrotoluene in the United 
States is primarily a result of occupational exposure during the 
production and use of this chemical.

Request for Comments

    The NTP invites written public comments on the draft background 
documents on captafol and ortho-nitrotoluene. All comments received 
will be posted on the RoC Web site prior to the meeting and distributed 
to the expert panel and RoC staff for their consideration in the peer 
review of the draft background documents and/or preparing for the 
expert panel meeting. Persons submitting written comments are asked to 
include their name and contact information (affiliation, mailing 
address, telephone and facsimile numbers, e-mail, and sponsoring 
organization, if any) and send them to Dr. Jameson (see ADDRESSES 
above) for receipt by October 3, 2007. Time is set aside on October 15-
16, 2007, for the presentation of oral public comments at the expert 
panel meeting. Seven minutes will be available for each speaker (one 
speaker per organization). Persons can register on-line to present oral 
comments or contact Dr. Jameson (see ADDRESSES above). When registering 
to comment orally, please provide your name, affiliation, mailing 
address, telephone and facsimile numbers, email and sponsoring 
organization (if any). If possible, send a copy of the statement or 
talking points to Dr. Jameson by October 10, 2007. This statement will 
be provided to the expert panel to assist them in identifying issues 
for discussion and will be noted in the meeting record. Registration 
for presentation of oral comments will also be available at the meeting 
on October 15-16, 2007, from 7:30-8:30 a.m. Persons registering at the 
meeting are asked to bring 25 copies of their statement or talking 
points for distribution to the expert panel and for the record.

Preliminary Agenda, Availability of Meeting Topics and Registration

    Preliminary agenda topics include:

     Oral public comments on captafol
     Peer review of the background document on captafol
     Recommendation for listing status for captafol in the 12th 
RoC
     Oral public comments on ortho-nitroluene
     Peer review of the background document on ortho-
nitrotoluene
     Recommendation for listing status for ortho-nitrotoluene 
in the 12th RoC

    The meeting is scheduled for October 15-16, 2007, from 8:30 a.m. to 
adjournment each day. The review of ortho-nitrotoluene will immediately 
follow the review of captafol. A copy of the preliminary agenda, expert 
panel roster, and any additional information, when available, will be 
posted on the RoC Web site or may be requested from the RoC Director 
(see ADDRESSES above). Individuals who plan to attend the meeting are 
encouraged to register on-line by October 10, 2007, to facilitate 
planning for the meeting.

Background Information on the RoC

    The RoC is a Congressionally mandated document that identifies and 
discusses agents, substances, mixtures, or exposure circumstances 
(collectively referred to as ``substances'') that may pose a hazard to 
human health by virtue of their carcinogenicity. Substances are listed 
in the report as either known or reasonably anticipated human 
carcinogens. The NTP prepares the RoC on behalf of the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services. Information about the RoC and the nomination 
process can be obtained from its homepage (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/roc) or by contacting Dr. Jameson (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
above). The NTP follows a formal, multi-step process for review and 
evaluation of selected chemicals. The formal evaluation process is 
available on the RoC Web site: (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/15208) or 
in printed copy from the RoC Director.


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    Dated: July 20, 2007.
David A. Schwartz,
Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and 
National Toxicology Program.
[FR Doc. E7-14689 Filed 7-30-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P