[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 18, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59533-59536]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-27671]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0851; FRL-8800-1]


FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel; Notice of Public Meeting

 AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

 ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: There will be a 4-day meeting of the Federal Insecticide, 
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel (FIFRA SAP) to 
consider and review Draft Framework and Case Studies on Atrazine, Human 
Incidents, and the Agricultural Health Study: Incorporation of 
Epidemiology and Human Incident Data into Human Health Risk Assessment.

DATES: The meeting will be held on February 2 - 5, 2010, from 
approximately 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    Comments. The Agency encourages that written comments be submitted 
by January 19, 2010 and requests for oral comments be submitted by 
January 26, 2010. However, written comments and requests to make oral 
comments may be submitted until the date of the meeting, but anyone 
submitting written comments after January 19, 2010 should contact the 
Designated Federal Official (DFO) listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT. For additional instructions, see Unit I.C. of the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Nominations. Nominations of candidates to serve as ad hoc members 
of FIFRA SAP for this meeting should be provided on or before November 
30, 2009.
    Special accommodations. For information on access or services for 
individuals with disabilities, and to request accommodation of a 
disability, please contact the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT at least 10 days prior to the meeting to give EPA as much time 
as possible to process your request.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Environmental Protection 
Agency, Conference Center, Lobby Level, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 
2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA 22202.
    Comments. Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0851, by one of the following methods:
      Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
      Mail: Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory 
Public Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
     Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public Docket (7502P), 
Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South 
Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. Deliveries are only 
accepted during the Docket Facility 's normal hours of operation (8:30 
a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays). 
Special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed 
information. The Docket Facility telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2009-0851. If your comments contain any information that you consider 
to be CBI or otherwise protected, please contact the DFO listed under 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT to obtain special instructions before 
submitting your comments. EPA's policy is that all comments received 
will be included in the docket without change and may be made available 
on-line at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed 
to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information 
that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through 
regulations.gov or e-mail. The regulations.gov website is an 
``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your 
identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of 
your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without 
going through regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the docket and made available on the Internet. If you submit 
an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and 
other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk 
or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical 
difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be 
able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of 
special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects 
or viruses.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket index 
available at http://www.regulations.gov. Although listed in the index, 
some information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other 
material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet 
and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly 
available docket

[[Page 59534]]

materials are available either in the electronic docket at http://www.regulations.gov, or, if only available in hard copy, at the OPP 
Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 
2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The hours of operation of this 
Docket Facility are from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The Docket Facility telephone number is (703) 
305-5805.
    Nominations, requests to present oral comments, and requests for 
special accommodations. Submit nominations to serve as ad hoc members 
of FIFRA SAP, requests for special seating accommodations, or requests 
to present oral comments to the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Myrta R. Christian, DFO, Office of 
Science Coordination and Policy (7201M), Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; 
telephone number: (202) 564-8498; fax number: (202) 564-8382; e-mail 
address: [email protected].

 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

 I. General Information

 A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general. This action may, 
however, be of interest to persons who are or may be required to 
conduct testing of chemical substances under the Federal Food, Drug, 
and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), FIFRA, and the Food Quality Protection Act of 
1996 (FQPA). Since other entities may also be interested, the Agency 
has not attempted to describe all the specific entities that may be 
affected by this action. If you have any questions regarding the 
applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the DFO 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

 B. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    When submitting comments, remember to:
    1. Identify the document by docket ID number and other identifying 
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
     2. Follow directions. The Agency may ask you to respond to 
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
    3. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and 
substitute language for your requested changes.
    4. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information 
and/or data that you used.
    5. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you 
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be 
reproduced.
    6. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and 
suggest alternatives.
    7. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of 
profanity or personal threats.
    8. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period deadline 
identified.

 C. How May I Participate in this Meeting?

    You may participate in this meeting by following the instructions 
in this unit. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative that 
you identify docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0851 in the subject line 
on the first page of your request.
    1. Written comments. The Agency encourages that written comments be 
submitted, using the instructions in ADDRESSES, no later than January 
19, 2010, to provide FIFRA SAP the time necessary to consider and 
review the written comments. Written comments are accepted until the 
date of the meeting, but anyone submitting written comments after 
January 19, 2010 should contact the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT. Anyone submitting written comments at the meeting 
should bring 30 copies for distribution to FIFRA SAP.
    2. Oral comments. The Agency encourages that each individual or 
group wishing to make brief oral comments to FIFRA SAP submit their 
request to the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT no 
later than January 26, 2010, in order to be included on the meeting 
agenda. Requests to present oral comments will be accepted until the 
date of the meeting and, to the extent that time permits, the Chair of 
FIFRA SAP may permit the presentation of oral comments at the meeting 
by interested persons who have not previously requested time. The 
request should identify the name of the individual making the 
presentation, the organization (if any) the individual will represent, 
and any requirements for audiovisual equipment (e.g., overhead 
projector, 35mm projector, chalkboard). Oral comments before FIFRA SAP 
are limited to approximately 5 minutes unless prior arrangements have 
been made. In addition, each speaker should bring 30 copies of his or 
her comments and presentation slides for distribution to the FIFRA SAP 
at the meeting.
    3. Seating at the meeting. Seating at the meeting will be open and 
on a first-come basis.
    4. Request for nominations to serve as ad hoc members of FIFRA SAP 
for this meeting. As part of a broader process for developing a pool of 
candidates for each meeting, FIFRA SAP staff routinely solicits the 
stakeholder community for nominations of prospective candidates for 
service as ad hoc members of FIFRA SAP. Any interested person or 
organization may nominate qualified individuals to be considered as 
prospective candidates for a specific meeting. Individuals nominated 
for this meeting should have expertise in one or more of the following 
areas: Risk Assessment; Human Epidemiology (particularly occupational 
and environmental epidemiology); Mode of Action Analysis (particularly 
those with MOA framework experience); Human Relevance Framework; 
Pharmacokinetics (particularly animal to human extrapolation); Exposure 
Assessment of Pesticides (both residential & agricultural worker). 
Nominees should be scientists who have sufficient professional 
qualifications, including training and experience, to be capable of 
providing expert comments on the scientific issues for this meeting. 
Nominees should be identified by name, occupation, position, address, 
and telephone number. Nominations should be provided to the DFO listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT on or before November 30, 2009. 
The Agency will consider all nominations of prospective candidates for 
this meeting that are received on or before this date. However, final 
selection of ad hoc members for this meeting is a discretionary 
function of the Agency.
    The selection of scientists to serve on FIFRA SAP is based on the 
function of the panel and the expertise needed to address the Agency's 
charge to the panel. No interested scientists shall be ineligible to 
serve by reason of their membership on any other advisory committee to 
a Federal department or agency or their employment by a Federal 
department or agency except the EPA. Other factors considered during 
the selection process include availability of the potential panel 
member to fully participate in the panel's reviews, absence of any 
conflicts of interest or appearance of lack of impartiality, 
independence with respect to the matters under review, and lack of 
bias. Although financial conflicts of interest, the appearance of lack 
of impartiality, lack of independence, and bias may result in 
disqualification, the absence of such concerns does not assure that a 
candidate will be selected

[[Page 59535]]

to serve on FIFRA SAP. Numerous qualified candidates are identified for 
each panel. Therefore, selection decisions involve carefully weighing a 
number of factors including the candidates' areas of expertise and 
professional qualifications and achieving an overall balance of 
different scientific perspectives on the panel. In order to have the 
collective breadth of experience needed to address the Agency's charge 
for this meeting, the Agency anticipates selecting approximately 10 ad 
hoc scientists.
    FIFRA SAP members are subject to the provisions of 5 CFR part 2634, 
Executive Branch Financial Disclosure, as supplemented by the EPA in 5 
CFR part 6401. In anticipation of this requirement, prospective 
candidates for service on the FIFRA SAP will be asked to submit 
confidential financial information which shall fully disclose, among 
other financial interests, the candidate's employment, stocks and 
bonds, and where applicable, sources of research support. The EPA will 
evaluate the candidates financial disclosure form to assess whether 
there are financial conflicts of interest, appearance of a lack of 
impartiality or any prior involvement with the development of the 
documents under consideration (including previous scientific peer 
review) before the candidate is considered further for service on FIFRA 
SAP. Those who are selected from the pool of prospective candidates 
will be asked to attend the public meetings and to participate in the 
discussion of key issues and assumptions at these meetings. In 
addition, they will be asked to review and to help finalize the meeting 
minutes. The list of FIFRA SAP members participating at this meeting 
will be posted on the FIFRA SAP website at http://epa.gov/scipoly/sap 
or may be obtained from the OPP Regulatory Public Docket at http://www.regulations.gov.

 II. Background

 A. Purpose of FIFRA SAP

    FIFRA SAP serves as the primary scientific peer review mechanism of 
EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) and 
is structured to provide scientific advice, information and 
recommendations to the EPA Administrator on pesticides and pesticide-
related issues as to the impact of regulatory actions on health and the 
environment. FIFRA SAP is a Federal advisory committee established in 
1975 under FIFRA that operates in accordance with requirements of the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act. FIFRA SAP is composed of a permanent 
panel consisting of seven members who are appointed by the EPA 
Administrator from nominees provided by the National Institutes of 
Health and the National Science Foundation. FIFRA, as amended by FQPA, 
established a Science Review Board consisting of at least 60 scientists 
who are available to the SAP on an ad hoc basis to assist in reviews 
conducted by the SAP. As a peer review mechanism, FIFRA SAP provides 
comments, evaluations and recommendations to improve the effectiveness 
and quality of analyses made by Agency scientists. Members of FIFRA SAP 
are scientists who have sufficient professional qualifications, 
including training and experience, to provide expert advice and 
recommendation to the Agency.

 B. Public Meeting

    Data from epidemiology studies and human incident reports contain 
valuable information about human exposure and response to pesticides. 
This information can contribute to a weight of evidence analysis in the 
characterization of human health risks. Epidemiology and incident data 
do, however, pose challenges with respect to characterizing human 
health risks. EPA is convening a meeting of the FIFRA Scientific 
Advisory Panel (SAP) to discuss science issues related to using 
epidemiology and human incident data in human health risk assessment. 
The Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) will solicit comment on a draft 
framework for implementing such data into human health risk assessment 
in addition to several case studies that illustrate scientific issues 
to be addressed at the SAP meeting. OPP's draft framework describes a 
weight of the evidence evaluation that uses the best available science 
on mode of action, exposure, pharmacokinetics, animal and human data 
from both in vivo and in vitro studies in addition to models such as 
physiologically-based pharmacokinetic models when available. Three case 
studies to be evaluated by the SAP are intended to illustrate the draft 
framework and to highlight key science challenges with incorporating 
epidemiology or human incident data into a risk assessment. The Agency 
will solicit comment on the weight of the evidence approach for 
evaluating and integrating the exposure, laboratory animal, and human 
information.
    A case study on the evaluation of several epidemiology studies 
concerning atrazine will be presented. These epidemiology studies are 
either ecologic or retrospective cohort studies in design. OPP, in 
collaboration with EPA's Office of Water and Office of Research and 
Development (ORD), will solicit comment on the strengths and weaknesses 
of these types of epidemiology studies in addition to advice on the 
appropriate way to use such studies in the atrazine human health risk 
assessment. This case study is also the first step in EPA's atrazine 
science re-evaluation plan as described to the November 3, 2009 FIFRA 
SAP previously (http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/sap/meetings/2009/110309meeting.html).
    A case study is also included to illustrate an analysis of reported 
human incident cases using diazinon; a pesticide that has historically 
been used in residential settings.
    Additionally, a case study concerning the collaborative work by 
scientists from OPP, ORD, and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and 
the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) on the 
Agricultural Health Study (AHS) will be presented to: Compare the 
exposure algorithms used by OPP and the AHS, and; consider temporal 
relationships for multi-chemical exposure in the AHS. The purpose of 
on-going work to compare the OPP and AHS exposure algorithms is to 
better understand differences and similarities in the two approaches to 
estimating worker exposure. Evaluation of temporal relationships for 
multi-chemical exposure in the AHS will involve information on the 
timing of uses and combined uses of pesticides, with particular 
emphasis on pesticides which share the same mode of action. The Agency 
will solicit advice on types of evaluations conducted to date and those 
being proposed with the third case study.
    The FIFRA SAP's advice will provide the Agency with input on 
approaches to integrate diverse types of experimental toxicology and 
epidemiology data. The SAP input will be considered in characterizing 
atrazine's human health risks which will be presented to the SAP in 
September 2010.

C. FIFRA SAP Documents and Meeting Minutes

    EPA's background paper, related supporting materials, charge/
questions to FIFRA SAP, FIFRA SAP composition (i.e., members and ad hoc 
members for this meeting), and the meeting agenda will be available by 
early January. In addition, the Agency may provide additional 
background documents as the materials become available. You may obtain 
electronic copies of these documents, and certain other related 
documents that might be available electronically, at http://www.regulations.gov and the FIFRA

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SAP homepage at http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/sap.
    FIFRA SAP will prepare meeting minutes summarizing its 
recommendations to the Agency approximately 90 days after the meeting. 
The meeting minutes will be posted on the FIFRA SAP website or may be 
obtained from the OPP Regulatory Public Docket at http://www.regulations.gov.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.

    Dated: November 10, 2009.
Frank Sanders,
Director, Office of Science Coordination and Policy.

[FR Doc. E9-27671 Filed 11-17-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S