[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 107 (Tuesday, June 3, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31683-31684]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-12382]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8575-1; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2008-0111]


Draft Toxicological Review of Cerium Oxide and Cerium Compounds: 
In Support of the Summary Information in the Integrated Risk 
Information System (IRIS)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Listening Session.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing a listening session to be held on June 25, 
2008, during the public comment period for the draft document entitled, 
``Toxicological Review of Cerium Oxide and Cerium Compounds: In Support 
of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System 
(IRIS)''. This listening session is a new step in EPA's revised 
process, announced on April 10, 2008, for development of human health 
assessments for inclusion on IRIS. The purpose of the listening session 
is to allow all interested parties to present scientific and technical 
comments on draft IRIS health assessments to EPA and other interested 
parties during the public comment period and prior to the external peer 
review meeting. EPA welcomes the scientific and technical comments that 
will be provided to the Agency by the listening session participants. 
The comments will be considered by the Agency as it revises the draft 
assessment in response to the independent external peer review and 
public comments. All electronic or hard copies of presentations made at 
the meeting will become part of the official and public record.
    The EPA's draft assessment and peer review charge are available via 
the Internet on the National Center for Environmental Assessment's 
(NCEA) home page under the Recent Additions and the Data and 
Publications menus at http://www.epa.gov/ncea.

DATES: The listening session on the draft IRIS health assessment for 
cerium oxide and cerium compounds will be held on June 25, 2008, 
beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time. If you 
wish to make a presentation at the listening session, you should 
register by June 20, 2008, and indicate that you wish to make oral 
comments at the session including the length of your presentation. At 
the time of your registration, please indicate if you require audio-
visual aid (e.g. lap top and slide projector). In general, each 
presentation should be no more than 30 minutes. If, however, there are 
more requests for presentations than the allotted time will allow, then 
the time limit for each presentation will be adjusted accordingly. 
Participants may also register at the beginning of the listening 
session to make comments. The order of the presentations will follow 
the order of registration. A copy of the agenda for the listening 
session will be available at the meeting.
    The public comment period for review of this draft assessment was 
announced previously in the Federal Register (FR) (73 FR 24982-24983) 
on May 6, 2008. As stated in that FR notice, the public comment period 
began on May 5, 2008, and ends June 30, 2008. Any technical comments 
submitted during the public comment period should be in writing and 
must be received by EPA by June 30, 2008, according to the procedures 
outlined below. Only those public comments submitted using the 
procedures identified in the May 6 FR notice by the June 30 deadline 
can be assured of being provided to the independent peer review panel 
prior to the peer review meeting to be held on July 8, 2008. The 
logistics for the peer review meeting were announced in the May 6, 
2008, FR notice.
    Listening session participants who wish to have their comments 
available to the external peer reviewers should also submit written 
comments during the public comment period using the detailed and 
established procedures included in the aforementioned FR notice (May 6, 
2008). Comments submitted to the docket prior to the end of the public 
comment period will be submitted to the external peer reviewers and 
considered by EPA in the disposition of public comments. Comments 
received in the docket after the public comment period closes must 
still be submitted to the docket but will not be submitted to the 
external peer reviewers.

ADDRESSES: The listening session on the draft cerium assessment will be 
held at the EPA offices at Two Potomac Yard (North Building), 7th 
Floor, Room 7100, 2733 South Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22202. 
To attend the listening session, please register by June 20, 2008, via 
e-mail at [email protected] (subject line: cerium oxide listening 
session), by phone: 703-347-3389, or by faxing a registration request 
to 703-347-8689 (please reference the ``Cerium Oxide Listening 
Session'' and include your name, title, affiliation, full address and 
contact information). Please note that to gain entrance to this EPA 
building to attend the meeting, attendees must have photo 
identification with them and must register at the guard's desk in the 
lobby. The guard will retain your photo identification and will provide 
you with a visitor's badge. At the guard's desk, attendees should give 
the name Christine Ross and the telephone number 703-347-3389, to the 
guard on duty. The guard will contact Ms. Ross, who will meet you in 
the reception area to escort you to the meeting room. Upon your exit 
from the building please return your visitor's badge and you will 
receive the photo identification that you provided.
    A teleconference line will also be available for participants. The 
teleconference number is 866-299-3188 and the access code is 
1068186199, followed by the pound sign (). The teleconference 
line will be activated at

[[Page 31684]]

8:45 a.m., and you will be asked to identify yourself and your 
affiliation at the beginning of the call.
    Information on Services for Individuals with Disabilities: For 
information on access or services for individuals with disabilities, 
please contact Christine Ross at 703-347-3389 or 
[email protected]. To request accommodation of a disability, 
please contact Christine Ross, preferably at least 10 days prior to the 
meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public 
listening sessions, please contact Christine Ross, IRIS Staff, National 
Center for Environmental Assessment, (8601P), U.S. EPA, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 703-347-
3389; facsimile: 703-347-8689; or e-mail: [email protected]. If 
you have questions about the draft cerium assessment, contact Martin 
Gehlhaus, IRIS Staff, National Center for Environmental Assessment, 
(8601P), U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone: 703-347-8579; facsimile: 703-347-8689; or e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This listening session is a new step in 
EPA's revised process, announced on April 10, 2008, for development of 
human health assessments for inclusion on IRIS. The new process is 
posted on the NCEA home page under the Recent Additions menu at http://www.epa.gov/ncea. Two listening sessions are scheduled under the new 
IRIS process. The first is during the public review of the draft 
assessment that includes only qualitative discussion. The second 
session is during the public review of the externally peer-reviewed 
draft assessment; if feasible, this draft will include both qualitative 
and quantitative elements (i.e., a ``complete draft''). All IRIS 
assessments that are at the document development stage will follow the 
revised process, which includes the two listening sessions. However, 
when EPA initiated the new IRIS process, its draft assessment for 
Cerium Oxide and Cerium Compounds had already been released for public 
review and comment, so EPA will only hold one listening session during 
the public review and comment period of the externally peer-reviewed 
draft.

    Dated: May 28, 2008.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
 [FR Doc. E8-12382 Filed 6-2-08; 8:45 am]
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