[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 22 (Friday, February 1, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6182-6183]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-1913]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8523-9]


Notification of a Public Teleconference of the Science Advisory 
Board Exposure and Human Health Committee

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a 
public teleconference of the SAB Exposure and Human Health Committee 
(EHHC) to discuss advisory activities for the coming year.

DATES: The SAB will hold a public teleconference on February 29, 2008. 
The teleconference will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time).

ADDRESSES: The teleconference will be conducted by telephone only.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing to 
obtain general information concerning this public teleconference or 
meeting should contact Dr. Sue Shallal, Designated Federal Officer 
(DFO), EPA Science Advisory Board (1400F), U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
via telephone/voice mail: (202) 343-9977; fax: (202) 233-0643; or e-
mail at: [email protected]. General information concerning the EPA 
Science Advisory Board can be found on the EPA SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SAB was established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to 
provide independent scientific and technical advice to the 
Administrator on the technical basis for Agency positions and 
regulations. The SAB is a Federal Advisory Committee chartered under 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C., App. 
The SAB will comply with the provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB 
Staff Office procedural policies.
    Background: EPA's Office of the Science Advisor (OSA) has requested 
that the SAB EHHC evaluate three Agency activities in the coming year. 
EPA will provide introductory briefings to the committee on: (1) 
Exposure Assessment Guidelines; (2) Immunosuppression Guidance; and (3) 
Microbial Risk Assessment Guidance Document. The Agency will offer 
these briefings to acquaint the EHHC with the Agency's activities in 
preparation for future meetings. Preliminary background information on 
these activities follows.
    Exposure Assessment Guidelines: The practice of exposure assessment 
has been evolving rapidly and has changed significantly since the 1992 
publication of EPA's Guidelines for Exposure Assessment. The science 
has advanced in the areas of personal monitoring and modeling, activity 
pattern analysis, and susceptible populations and life stages. The EPA 
has published specific guidance in such areas as probabilistic 
analyses, exposure factors, aggregate exposure and cumulative risk, and 
community-based research. The update incorporates and refers to 
advances and changes in the theory and practice of exposure assessment. 
The SAB provided a consultation on the general goals, topic areas, and 
approach for the update in September 2006 (SAB letter dated February 
28, 2007, EPA-SAB-07-003). The SAB is asked to provide peer review, and 
to comment specifically on the scope and content of the updated 
Guidelines, the completeness and clarity of the text, the suitability 
of figures and tables, and the inclusion of appropriate emerging areas 
in this field.
    Immunosuppression Guidance: The Agency is developing a guidance 
document for interpreting changes in the activity or histology of 
components of the immune system to identify hazards from exposure to 
environmental stressors. The immune system is a complex array of 
components that work both independently and in concert with other 
components to protect humans against infection and suppress the spread 
of neoplasia. Given this complexity, the Agency is soliciting input 
from the SAB on the direction and scope of the draft guidance document.
    Microbial Risk Assessment Guidance Document: EPA is working with 
other government agencies to develop guidance for microbial risk 
assessment. The draft document is intended to reflect the issues and 
approaches of all contributing agencies, from which EPA will derive its 
own internal guidance, specific to the regulatory mandates of the 
program offices. The EPA has requested a consultation with the SAB EHHC 
on the content and direction of a draft microbial risk assessment 
guidance document to determine if its approach is appropriate and the 
content adequate.
    Availability of Materials: The draft agenda and other materials 
will be

[[Page 6183]]

posted on the SAB Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab prior to the 
teleconference.
    Procedures for Providing Public Input: Interested members of the 
public may submit relevant written or oral information for the SAB to 
consider during the public teleconference and/or meeting on the topics 
included in this advisory activity and/or the group conducting the 
activity. Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups requesting 
an oral presentation at a public SAB teleconference will be limited to 
three minutes per speaker, with no more than a total of one-half hour 
for all speakers. To be placed on the public speaker list, interested 
parties should contact Dr. Sue Shallal, DFO, in writing (preferably via 
e-mail), by February 22, 2008, at the contact information noted above. 
Written Statements: Written statements should be received in the SAB 
Staff Office in accordance with the dates mentioned above so that the 
information may be made available to the SAB for their consideration 
prior to each teleconference. Written statements should be supplied to 
the DFO in the following formats in electronic copy via e-mail 
(acceptable file format: Adobe Acrobat PDF, WordPerfect, MS Word, MS 
PowerPoint, or Rich Text files in IBM-PC/Windows 98/2000/XP format).
    Accessibility: For information on access or services for 
individuals with disabilities, please contact Dr. Sue Shallal at (202) 
343-9977 or [email protected]. To request accommodation of a 
disability, please contact Dr. Shallal preferably at least ten days 
prior to the teleconference, to give EPA as much time as possible to 
process your request.

    Dated: January 25, 2008.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E8-1913 Filed 1-31-08; 8:45 am]
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