[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 4, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31861-31862]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-12478]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8575-5; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2008-0315]


Draft Toxicological Review of Beryllium and 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 27, 
2008, during the public comment period for the external review draft 
document entitled, ``Toxicological Review of Beryllium and 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 presentations 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 
beryllium and compounds will be held on June 27, 2008, beginning at 10 
a.m. and ending at 5 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, 
and indicate 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 26986-26987) 
on May 12, 2008. As stated in that FR notice, the public comment period 
began on May 12, 2008, and ends July 5, 2008. Any technical comments 
submitted during the public comment period should be in writing and 
must be received by EPA by July 5, 2008, according to the procedures 
outlined below. Only those public comments submitted using the 
procedures identified in the May 12 FR notice by the July 5, 2008, 
deadline can be assured of having their comments provided to the 
independent peer-review panel prior to the peer-review meeting to be 
held on July 16, 2008. The logistics for the peer-review meeting were 
announced in the May 12, 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 
12, 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 beryllium 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, register by June 20, 2008, via e-mail 
at [email protected] (subject line: beryllium listening session), 
by phone: 703-347-3389, or by faxing a registration request to 703-347-
8689 (please reference the ``Beryllium 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

[[Page 31862]]

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 9:45 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 beryllium assessment, contact Amanda 
Persad, IRIS Staff, National Center for Environmental Assessment, 
(B243-01), U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone: 919-
541-9781; facsimile: 919-541-2985; 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 quantitation 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, the draft assessment for 
beryllium had already completed document development and been through 
several rounds of internal review. Therefore, EPA will only hold one 
listening session during the public review and comment period of the 
externally peer-reviewed draft.

    Dated: May 29, 2008.
Rebecca Clark,
Deputy Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
 [FR Doc. E8-12478 Filed 6-3-08; 8:45 am]
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