[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 202 (Friday, October 17, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61874-61875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-24728]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket Number NIOSH-144]


Notice of Request for Public To Submit Comments and Attend 
Meeting

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.

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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 availability of the following notice of public meeting 
and draft document available for public comment entitled ``NIOSH 
Criteria Document Update: Occupational Exposure to Hexavalent 
Chromium.'' The document and instructions for submitting comments can 
be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/144/. Comments may 
be provided to the NIOSH docket, as well as given orally at the 
following meeting.
    Public Comment Period: October 15, 2008-January 31, 2009.
    Public Meeting Time and Date: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. EST, January 22, 2009.
    Place: Robert A. Taft Laboratories, Taft Auditorium, NIOSH, CDC, 
4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998.
    Purpose of Meeting: To discuss and obtain comments on the draft 
document, ``NIOSH Criteria Document Update: Occupational Exposure to 
Hexavalent Chromium.'' Special emphasis will be placed on discussion of 
the following:
    1. Are the critical studies presented clearly and adequately?
    2. Do all of the presented studies use scientifically valid methods 
and techniques?
    3. Are there additional critical studies relevant to occupational 
exposure to hexavalent chromium compounds that should be included?
    4. Does NIOSH have a transparent and sound basis for its revised 
Recommended Exposure Limit for hexavalent chromium compounds?
    5. Is the new NIOSH policy of providing general exposure assessment 
recommendations instead of a specific Action Level scientifically 
justified?
    6. Are the NIOSH recommendations for worker protection clear and 
justified?
    7. Are there additional recommendations for worker protection that 
should be included?
    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 January 7, 2009 
for U.S. citizens, or no later than December 30, 2008 for non-U.S. 
citizens.* Persons wanting to provide oral comments at the meeting are 
requested to notify the NIOSH Docket Office no later than January 7, 
2009 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 must also be submitted to 
the docket in writing in order to be considered by the Agency. 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-144 and must be submitted by January 31, 
2009 to be considered by the Agency. All electronic comments should be 
formatted as Microsoft Word. Please make reference to Docket Number 
NIOSH-144.
    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.
    *Non-U.S. Citizens: Because of CDC Security Regulations, any non-
U.S. citizen wishing to attend this meeting must provide the following 
information in writing to the NIOSH Docket Officer at the address below 
no later than December 30, 2008. This information will be transmitted 
to the CDC Security Office for approval. Visitors will be notified as 
soon as approval has been obtained.
    1. Name:
    2. Gender:
    3. Date of Birth:
    4. Place of Birth (city, province, state, country):
    5. Citizenship:
    6. Passport Number:
    7. Date of Passport Issue:
    8. Date of Passport Expiration:
    9. Type of Visa:
    10. U.S. Naturalization Number (if a naturalized citizen)
    11. U.S. Naturalization Date (if a naturalized citizen)
    12. Visitor's Organization:
    13. Organization Address:
    14. Organization Telephone Number:
    15. Visitor's Position/Title within the Organization:
    Background: This draft NIOSH document provides a review of the 
available literature and provides an update of NIOSH policies on 
occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium compounds including an 
assessment of: (1) Critical animal, human, and in vitro studies on 
occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium; (2) relevant quantitative 
risk assessments about occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium; 
(3) appropriate methods for sampling and analysis of hexavalent 
chromium compounds in the workplace; (4) basis for the NIOSH revised 
Recommended Exposure Limit for hexavalent chromium compounds; and (5) 
other NIOSH recommendations for protecting workers from occupational 
exposure to hexavalent chromium. This guidance document does not have 
the force and effect of law.
    The purpose of the public review of the draft document and public 
meeting

[[Page 61875]]

is to obtain public comments assessing whether: (1) This hazard 
identification is an accurate reflection of the available scientific 
studies; (2) the NIOSH recommendations for protecting workers from 
occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium compounds are appropriate 
and justified, and (3) NIOSH has a transparent and scientific basis for 
its revised Recommended Exposure Limit for hexavalent chromium 
compounds.

Contact Persons For Technical Information: Kathleen MacMahon, DVM; 
telephone (513) 533-8547; Mailstop C-32, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 
4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998.
    Reference: ``NIOSH Criteria Document Update: Occupational Exposure 
to Hexavalent Chromium'' (public review draft). Web address for this 
document: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/144/.

    Dated: October 9, 2008.
James D. Seligman,
Chief Information Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. E8-24728 Filed 10-16-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P