[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22148-22150]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-9693]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket Number NIOSH-153-A]


Request for the Technical Review of 22 Draft Skin Notation 
Assignments and Skin Notation Profiles

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 of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is 
conducting a public review of the draft skin notations and support 
technical documents entitled ``Skin Notations Profiles, for 22 
chemicals.'' NIOSH is requesting technical reviews of the draft Skin 
Notation Profiles. To facilitate the review of these documents, NIOSH 
requests that the following questions be taken into consideration:
    1. Does this document clearly outline the systemic health hazards 
associated with exposures of the skin to the chemical? If not, what 
specific information is missing from the document?
    2. If the SYS or SYS (FATAL) notations are assigned, is the 
rationale and logic behind the assignment clear? If not assigned, is 
the logic clear why it was not (e.g., insufficient data, no identified 
health hazard)?
    3. Does this document clearly outline the direct (localized) health 
hazards associated with exposures of the skin to the chemical? If not, 
what specific information is missing from the document?
    4. If the DIR, DIR (IRR), or DIR (COR) notations are assigned, is 
the rationale and logic behind the assignment clear? If not assigned, 
is the logic clear why it was not (e.g., insufficient data, no 
identified health hazard)?
    5. Does this document clearly outline the immune-mediated responses 
(allergic response) health hazards associated with exposures of the 
skin to the chemical? If not, what specific information is missing from 
the document?
    6. If the SEN notation is assigned, is the rationale and logic 
behind the assignment clear? If not assigned, is the logic clear why it 
was not (e.g., insufficient data, no identified health hazard)?
    7. If the ID\(SK)\ or SK were assigned, is the rationale and logic 
outlined within the document?
    8. Are the conclusions supported by the data?
    9. Are the tables clear and appropriate?
    10. Is the document organized appropriately? If not, what 
improvements are needed?
    11. Is the language of the manuscript acceptable as written? If 
not, what improvements are needed?
    12. Are you aware of any scientific data reported in governmental 
publications, databases, peer-reviewed journals, or other sources that 
should be included within this document?
    13. What is your final recommendation for this manuscript?
    Public Comment Period: Comments must be received by June 11, 2010.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number NIOSH-
153-A, by any of the following methods:
     Mail: NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 
MS-C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226.

[[Page 22149]]

     Facsimile: (513) 533-8285.
     E-mail: [email protected]. All information received in 
response to this notice will be available for public examination and 
copying at the NIOSH Docket Office, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, 
Ohio 45226. A complete electronic docket containing all comments 
submitted will be available on the NIOSH Web page at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket, and comments will be available in writing by 
request. NIOSH includes all comments received without change in the 
docket, including any personal information provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: G. Scott Dotson, NIOSH, Robert A Taft 
Laboratories, MS-C32, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226, 
telephone (513)533-8540.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2009, NIOSH published Current 
Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) 61: A Strategy for Assigning New NIOSH Skin 
Notations [NIOSH 2009-147; available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2009-147/pdfs/2009-147.pdf]. The CIB presents a strategic framework 
that is a form of hazard identification that has been designed to do 
the following:
    1. Ensure that the assigned skin notations reflect the contemporary 
state of scientific knowledge.
    2. Provide transparency behind the assignment process.
    3. Communicate the hazards of chemical exposures of the skin.
    4. Meet the needs of health professionals, employers, and other 
interested parties in protecting workers from chemical contact with the 
skin.
    This strategy involves the assignment of multiple skin notations 
for distinguishing systemic (SYS), direct (DIR), and sensitizing (SEN) 
effects caused by exposure of skin (SK) to chemicals. Chemicals that 
are highly or extremely toxic and may be potentially lethal or life-
threatening following exposures of the skin are designated with the 
systemic subnotation (FATAL). Potential irritants and corrosive 
chemicals are indicated by the direct effects subnotations (IRR) and 
(COR), respectively. Thus with the new strategy, chemicals labeled as 
SK: SYS are recognized to contribute to systemic toxicity through 
dermal absorption. Chemicals assigned the notation SK: SYS (FATAL) have 
been identified as highly or extremely toxic and have the potential to 
be lethal or life-threatening following acute contact with the skin. 
Substances identified to cause direct effects (i.e., damage or 
destruction) to the skin limited to or near the point of contact are 
labeled SK: DIR, and those resulting in skin irritation and corrosion 
at the point of contact are labeled as SK: DIR (IRR) and SK: DIR (COR), 
respectively. The SK: SEN notation is used for substances identified as 
causing or contributing to allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) or other 
immune-mediated responses, such as airway hyper reactivity (asthma). 
Candidate chemicals may be assigned more than one skin notation when 
they are identified to cause multiple effects resulting from skin 
exposure. For example, if a chemical is identified as corrosive and 
also contributes to systemic toxicity, it will be labeled as SK: SYS-
DIR (COR). When scientific data for a chemical indicate that skin 
exposure does not produce systemic, direct, or sensitizing effects, the 
compound will be assigned the notation (SK). The ID(SK) 
notation is assigned to indicate that insufficient data on the health 
hazards associated with skin exposure to a substance exist at the time 
of the review to determine whether the chemical has the potential to 
act as a systemic, direct, or sensitizing agent. The ND notation 
indicates that a chemical has not been evaluated by the strategy 
outlined in this CIB and that the health hazards associated with skin 
exposure are unknown.
    Historically, skin notations have been published in the NIOSH 
Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards [NIOSH 2005-149]. This practice will 
continue with the NIOSH skin notation assignments for each evaluated 
chemical being integrated as they become available. A support document 
called a Skin Notation Profile has been developed for each evaluated 
chemical. The Skin Notation Profile for a chemical is intended to 
provide information supplemental to the skin notation, including a 
summary of all relevant data used to aid in determining the hazards 
associated with skin exposures.
    NIOSH seeks comments on the draft skin notation assignments and 
Skin Notation Profiles for 22 chemicals. The draft Skin Notation 
Profiles were developed to provide the scientific rationale behind the 
hazard-specific skin notation (SK) assignments for the following 
chemicals:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Document                       Substance(s)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A-01.........................  1,3-Dichloropropene (CAS 542-75-
                                6).
A-02.........................  Phenol (CAS 108-95-2).
A-03.........................  Hydrogen fluoride/hydrofluoric acid
                                (CAS 7664-39-3).
A-04.........................  Dinitrotoluene, (CAS 25321-14-
                                6); 2,4-.
                               Dinitrotoluene (CAS 121-14-2);
                                2,6-.
                               Dinitrotoluene (CAS 606-20-2).
A-05.........................  Acrylamide (CAS 79-06-1).
A-06.........................  Acrylonitrile (CAS 107-13-1).
A-07.........................  Metallic Chromium and other Substances
                                containing Hexavalent Chromium [Cr(VI)]
                                CAS 7440-47-3; 18540-29-9).
A-08.........................  m,p,o-Dinitrobenzene (CAS 99-65-
                                0; CAS 528-29-0; CAS
                                100-25-4).
A-09.........................  Epichlorohydrin (CAS 106-89-8).
A-10.........................  Ethylene glycol dinitrate (CAS
                                628-96-6).
A-11.........................  Bisphenol A (CAS 80-05-7).
A-12.........................  Formaldehyde (CAS 50-00-0).
A-13.........................  Hydrazine (CAS 302-01-2).
A-14.........................  Nitroglycerin (CAS 55-63-0).
A-15.........................  Nonane (CAS 111-84-2).
A-16.........................  Glutaraldehyde (CAS 111-30-8).
A-17.........................  Sodium hydroxide (CAS 1310-73-
                                2).
A-18.........................  Trichloroethylene (CAS 79-01-6).
A-19.........................  Methyl cellosolve (CAS 109-86-
                                4).
A-20.........................  2-Butoxyethanol (CAS 111-76-2).
A-21.........................  2-Ethoxyethanol (CAS 110-80-5).
A-22.........................  p-Phenylenediamine (CAS  106-50-
                                3).
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[[Page 22150]]

    Each Skin Notation Profile provides a detailed summary of the 
health hazards of skin contact and rationale for the proposed SK 
assignment with the chemical(s)-of-interest.

    Dated: April 19, 2010.
John Howard,
Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2010-9693 Filed 4-26-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P