[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 12, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70598-70599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-24047]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket Number NIOSH-115]


Notice of Public Meeting and Availability for Public Comment

AGENCY: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and availability for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
announces the following meeting and request for public comment on the 
draft Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) entitled ``Interim Guidance 
on Medical Screening of Workers Potentially Exposed to Engineered 
Nanoparticles.'' The document and instructions for submitting comments 
can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/115/. Comments 
may be provided to the NIOSH docket, as well as given orally at the 
following meeting.
    Public Comment Period: December 14, 2007 through February 15, 2008.
    Public Meeting Time and Date: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., January 30, 2008.
    Place: Robert A. Taft Laboratories, Taft Auditorium, NIOSH, CDC, 
4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226.
    Purpose of Meeting: To discuss and obtain comments on the draft CIB 
``Interim Guidance on Medical Screening of Workers Potentially Exposed 
to Engineered Nanoparticles.'' Special emphasis will be placed on 
discussion of the following:
    (1) Do the data support the conclusions of the document?
    (2) Are the conclusions appropriate in light of the current 
understanding of toxicological data?
    (3) Is medical surveillance appropriate at this time for workers 
with potential exposure to engineered nanoparticles; if so, what 
form(s) of medical surveillance are specific for such workers?
    (4) What are the potential benefits, adverse impacts, and 
limitations of medical screening of workers potentially exposed to 
engineered nanoparticles?
    (5) What are the potential benefits, adverse impacts, and 
limitations of establishing an exposure registry for workers exposed to 
engineered nanoparticles?
    Status: The forum will include scientists and representatives from 
various government agencies, industry, labor, and other stakeholders, 
and is open to the public, limited only by the space available. The 
meeting room accommodates 80 people. Due to limited space and security 
clearance requirements, notification of intent to attend the meeting 
must be made to the NIOSH Docket Office no later than Friday, January 
18, 2008. Persons wanting to provide oral comments at the meeting are 
requested to notify the NIOSH Docket Office no later than January 11, 
2008 at 513/533-8611 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Priority for 
attendance will be given to those providing oral comments. Other 
requests to attend the meeting will then be accommodated on a first-
come basis. Unreserved walk-in attendees will not be admitted due to 
security clearance requirements.
    Persons wanting to provide oral comments will be permitted up to 20 
minutes. If additional time becomes available, presenters will be 
notified. Oral comments given at the meeting will be recorded and 
included in the docket. Written comments will also be accepted at the 
meeting. Written comments may also be submitted to the NIOSH Docket 
Office, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 4676 Columbia Parkway, MS C-34, 
Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, telephone 513/533-8611. All material submitted 
to the Agency should reference docket number NIOSH-115 and must be 
submitted by February 15, 2008 (public review closing date) to be 
considered by the Agency. All electronic comments should be formatted 
as Microsoft Word. Please make reference to docket number NIOSH-115.
    All information received in response to this notice will be 
available for public examination and copying at the NIOSH Docket 
Office, Room 111, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226.
    Background: Concerns have been raised about whether workers exposed 
to engineered nanoparticles will be at increased risk of adverse health 
effects and whether medical screening or some other type of 
occupational health surveillance is appropriate for these workers. 
Although increasing evidence indicates that exposure to some engineered 
nanoparticles can cause adverse health effects in laboratory animals, 
insufficient medical evidence exists to recommend the medical screening 
of workers potentially exposed to engineered nanoparticles. However, 
NIOSH will continue to assess the scientific evidence and periodically 
update the guidance on medical screening. Because occupational exposure 
to engineered nanoparticles is likely to become more common in the 
future, NIOSH has recommended that employers identify the presence of 
engineered nanoparticles in their workplace and implement effective 
efforts to minimize worker exposure to these materials [NIOSH 2006]. 
This guidance document does not have the force and effect of the law.
    Contact Persons for Technical Information: Dr. Paul A. Schulte, M/S 
C-14, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, 
Ohio 45226, telephone 513/533-8302, or Ralph Zumwalde, M/S C-32, Robert 
A. Taft Laboratories, 4676 Columbia

[[Page 70599]]

Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, telephone 513/533-8320.
    Reference:
    NIOSH [2006]. Approaches to safe nanotechnology: an information 
exchange with NIOSH. Cincinnati, OH: Department of Health and Human 
Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, July 2006. Web address 
for this document: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/safenano/.

    Dated: December 5, 2007.
James D. Seligman,
Chief Information Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
 [FR Doc. E7-24047 Filed 12-11-07; 8:45 am]
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