[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 167 (Monday, August 31, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44845-44846]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-20878]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


National Toxicology Program (NTP): Report on Carcinogens (RoC); 
Availability of the Draft Background Document for Formaldehyde; Request 
for Comments on the Draft Background Document; Announcement of the 
Formaldehyde Expert Panel Meeting

AGENCY: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS); 
National Institutes of Health (NIH).

ACTION: Availability of background document; request for comments; and 
announcement of a meeting

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SUMMARY: The NTP announces the availability of the draft background 
document for formaldehyde by September 3, 2009, on the RoC Web site 
(http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/29679) or in printed text from the RoC 
(see ADDRESSES below). The NTP invites the submission of public 
comments on the draft background document for formaldehyde. The expert 
panel will meet on November 2-4, 2009, at the Hilton Raleigh-Durham 
Airport at Research Triangle Park, 4810 Page Creek Lane, Durham, NC 
27703 to peer review the draft background document for formaldehyde 
and, once completed, make a recommendation regarding the listing status 
(i.e., known to be a human carcinogen, reasonably anticipated to be a 
human carcinogen, or not to list) for formaldehyde in the 12th Edition 
of the RoC (12th RoC). The RoC expert panel meeting is open to the 
public with time scheduled for oral public comments. Attendance is 
limited only by the available meeting room space. Following the expert 
panel meeting and completion of the expert panel report, the NTP will 
post the final background document and the expert panel report on the 
RoC Web site.

DATES: The expert panel meeting for formaldehyde will be held on 
November 2-4, 2009. The draft background document for formaldehyde will 
be available for public comment by September 3, 2009. The deadline to 
submit written comments is October 16, 2009, and the deadline for pre-
registration to attend the meeting and/or to provide oral comments at 
the meeting is October 26, 2009.

ADDRESSES: The RoC expert panel meeting on formaldehyde will be held at 
the Hilton Raleigh-Durham Airport at Research Triangle Park, 4810 Page 
Creek Lane, Durham, NC 27703. Access to on-line registration and 
materials for the meeting are available on the RoC Web

[[Page 44846]]

site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/29679). Comments on the draft 
background document should be sent to Dr. Ruth M. Lunn, NIEHS, P.O. Box 
12233, MD K2-14, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, FAX: (919) 541-0144, 
or [email protected]. Courier address: Report on Carcinogens Center, 
530 Davis Drive, Room 2006, Morrisville, NC 27560. Persons needing 
interpreting services in order to attend should contact (301) 402-8180 
(voice) or (301) 435-1908 (TTY). Requests should be made at least seven 
business days in advance of the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Ruth M. Lunn, Director, RoC 
Center, (919) 316-4637, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The NTP announced the RoC review process for the 12th RoC on April 
16, 2007, in the Federal Register (72 FR 18999, available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/15208). As part of that process, an expert panel 
meeting is being convened on November 2-4, 2009, to review formaldehyde 
for possible listing in the 12th RoC. The draft background document for 
formaldehyde will be available on the RoC Web site by September 3, 
2009, or in printed text from the RoC Center (see ADDRESSES above). 
Persons can register free-of-charge with the NTP listserv (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/231) to receive notification when draft RoC 
background documents for candidate substances and meetings related to 
the 12th RoC are made available on the RoC Web site.
    Formaldehyde is a high production chemical with a wide array of 
uses. The predominant use of formaldehyde in the United States is in 
the production of industrial resins (mainly urea, phenol, polyacetal, 
and melamine resins) that are used primarily to manufacture products 
such as adhesives and binders for wood products. Other uses include as 
a chemical intermediate, in agriculture (for example as a fumigant), in 
the production of paraformaldehyde and chelating agents, embalming and 
fixative or preservative in the medical and research fields, and as a 
preservative in numerous consumer products such as cleaning agents and 
cosmetic products. Formaldehyde has been detected in indoor and outdoor 
air, surface water and groundwater, soil, and food products and is 
generally considered to be ubiquitous in the environment. Formaldehyde 
(gas) is currently listed in the 11th RoC as reasonably anticipated to 
be a human carcinogen and was nominated for reclassification of its 
listing status in the 12th RoC.

Preliminary Agenda and Registration

    Preliminary agenda topics include:
     Oral public comments on formaldehyde;
     Peer review of the draft background document on 
formaldehyde;
     Recommendation on the listing status of formaldehyde in 
the 12th RoC and scientific justification.
    The meeting is scheduled for November 2-4, 2009, from 8:30 a.m. to 
adjournment each day. It is anticipated that the meeting will adjourn 
by 4 p.m. on November 4, although adjournment may occur earlier or 
later depending upon the time needed for the expert panel to complete 
its work. A copy of the preliminary agenda, expert panel roster, and 
any additional information, when available, will be posted on the RoC 
Web site or may be requested from the Director of the RoC Center (see 
ADDRESSES above). Individuals who plan to attend the meeting are 
encouraged to register on-line by October 26, 2009, to facilitate 
planning for the meeting.

Request for Comments

    The NTP invites both written and oral public comments on the draft 
background document on formaldehyde. Persons submitting written 
comments are asked to include their name and contact information 
(affiliation, mailing address, telephone and facsimile numbers, e-mail, 
and sponsoring organization, if any) and send them to Dr. Lunn (see 
ADDRESSES above) for receipt by October 16, 2009. All written comments 
identified by the individual's name and affiliation or sponsoring 
organization (if applicable) will be posted on the RoC Web site prior 
to the meeting and distributed to the expert panel and RoC staff for 
their consideration in the peer review of the draft background document 
and/or preparation for the meeting.
    Time will be set aside at the expert panel meeting for the 
presentation of oral public comments. Seven minutes will be available 
for each speaker (one speaker per organization). Persons can register 
on-line to present oral comments or by contacting Dr. Lunn (see 
ADDRESSES above). When registering to comment orally, please provide 
your name, affiliation, mailing address, telephone number, e-mail and 
sponsoring organization (if any). If possible, send a copy of the 
statement or talking points to Dr. Lunn by October 26, 2009. This 
statement will be provided to the expert panel to assist them in 
identifying issues for discussion and will be noted in the meeting 
record. Registration for presentation of oral comments will also be 
available at the meeting on November 2-4, 2009, from 7:30-8:30 a.m. 
Time allowed for comments by on-site registrants may be less than for 
pre-registered speakers and will be determined by the number of persons 
who register at the meeting to give oral comments. Persons registering 
at the meeting are asked to bring 25 copies of their statement or 
talking points for distribution to the expert panel and for the record.

Background Information on the RoC

    The RoC is a congressionally mandated document [Section 301(b)(4) 
of the Public Health Services Act, 42 U.S.C. 241(b)(4)], that 
identifies and discusses agents, substances, mixtures, or exposure 
circumstances (collectively referred to as ``substances'') that may 
pose a hazard to human health by virtue of their carcinogenicity. 
Substances are listed in the report as either known or reasonably 
anticipated to be human carcinogens. The NTP prepares the RoC on behalf 
of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Information about the 
RoC and the nomination process can be obtained from its homepage 
(http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/roc) or by contacting Dr. Lunn (see For 
Further Information Contact above). The NTP follows a formal, multi-
step process for review and evaluation of selected substances. The 
formal evaluation process is available on the RoC Web site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/15208) or in printed copy from the RoC Center.

    Dated: August 21, 2009.
John R. Bucher,
Associate Director, National Toxicology Program.
[FR Doc. E9-20878 Filed 8-28-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P