[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 189 (Thursday, September 30, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60454-60456]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24580]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9208-8; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2010-0540]


Draft Toxicological Review of Hexavalent Chromium: In Support of 
Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Public Comment Period and Listening Session.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing a 60-day public comment period and a public 
listening session for the external review draft human health assessment 
titled, ``Toxicological Review of Hexavalent Chromium: In Support of 
Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)'' 
EPA/635/R-10/004C. The draft assessment was prepared by the National 
Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within the EPA Office of 
Research and Development (ORD). EPA is releasing this draft assessment 
solely for the purpose of pre-dissemination peer review under 
applicable information quality guidelines. This draft assessment has 
not been formally disseminated by EPA. It does not represent and should 
not be construed to represent any Agency policy or determination. After 
public review and comment, an EPA contractor will convene an expert 
panel for independent external peer review of this draft assessment. 
The public comment period and external peer review meeting are separate 
processes that provide opportunities for all interested parties to 
comment on the assessment. The external peer review meeting will be 
scheduled at a later date and announced in the Federal Register. Public 
comments submitted during the public comment period will be provided to 
the external peer reviewers before the panel meeting and considered by 
EPA in the disposition of public comments. Public comments received 
after the public comment period closes will not be submitted to the 
external peer reviewers and will only be considered by EPA if time 
permits.
    The listening session will be held on November 18, 2010, during the 
public comment period for this draft assessment. 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 attending the listening session. EPA 
welcomes the 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 after the independent 
external peer review. If listening session participants want EPA to 
share their comments with the external peer reviewers, they should also 
submit written comments during the public comment period using the 
detailed and established procedures described in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section of this notice.

DATES: The public comment period begins September 30, 2010, and ends 
November 29, 2010. Comments should be in writing and must be received 
by EPA by November 29, 2010.
    The listening session on the draft assessment for hexavalent 
chromium will be held on November 18, 2010, beginning at 9 a.m. and 
ending at 4 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. To attend the listening 
session, interested parties should register no later than November 11, 
2010. To present at the listening session, indicate in your 
registration that you want to make oral comments at the session and 
provide the length of your presentation. The following are instructions 
for registering: To attend or present comments at the listening 
session, register by November 11, 2010, via the Internet at https://www2.ergweb.com/projects/conferences/peerreview/register-hexavalent.htm. You may also register via e-mail at: [email protected] 
(subject line: ``Hexavalent Chromium Listening Session,'' please 
indicate whether you would like to make oral comments, and include your 
name, title, affiliation, full address and contact information), by 
phone: 781-674-7374 or toll free at 800-803-2833, or by faxing a 
registration request to 781-674-2906 (please reference the ``Hexavalent 
Chromium Listening Session'' and include your name, title, affiliation, 
full address and contact information). When you register, please 
indicate if you will need audio-visual equipment (e.g., laptop computer 
and slide projector). In general, each presentation should be no more 
than 30 minutes. If, however, there are more requests for presentations 
than

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the allotted time allows, then the time limit for each presentation 
will be adjusted. A copy of the agenda for the listening session will 
be available at the meeting. If no speakers have registered by November 
11, 2010, the listening session will be cancelled, and EPA will notify 
those registered of the cancellation.

ADDRESSES: The draft ``Toxicological Review of Hexavalent Chromium: In 
Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information 
System (IRIS)'' is available primarily via the Internet on the NCEA 
home page under the Recent Additions and Publications menus at http://www.epa.gov/ncea. A limited number of paper copies are available from 
the Information Management Team (Address: Information Management Team, 
National Center for Environmental Assessment (Mail Code: 8601P), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 703-347-8561; facsimile: 703-347-
8691). If you request a paper copy, please provide your name, mailing 
address, and the draft assessment title.
    Comments may be submitted electronically via http://www.regulations.gov, by e-mail, by mail, by facsimile, or by hand 
delivery/courier. Please follow the detailed instructions provided in 
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.
    The listening session on the draft hexavalent chromium assessment 
will be held at the EPA offices at Potomac Yard (North Building), Room 
7100, 2733 South Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22202. Please note 
that to gain entrance to this EPA building to attend the meeting, you 
must have photo identification 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, you should 
provide the name Christine Ross and the telephone number 703-347-8592 
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. When you leave 
the building, please return your visitor's badge to the guard and you 
will receive your photo identification.
    A teleconference line will also be available for registered 
attendees/speakers. The teleconference number is 866-299-3188, and the 
access code is 926-378-7897, followed by the pound sign (). 
The teleconference line will be activated at 8:45 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: EPA 
welcomes public attendance at the hexavalent chromium listening session 
and will make every effort to accommodate persons with disabilities. 
For information on access or services for individuals with 
disabilities, please contact Christine Ross by phone at 703-347-8592 or 
by e-mail at [email protected]. To request accommodation for 
a disability, please contact Ms. Ross, preferably at least 10 days 
prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process 
your request.
    Additional Information: For information on the docket, http://www.regulations.gov, or the public comment period, please contact the 
Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket (Mail Code: 2822T), 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-1753; 
or e-mail: [email protected].
    For information on the public listening session, please contact 
Christine Ross, IRIS Staff, National Center for Environmental 
Assessment (Mail Code: 8601P), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 703-
347-8592; facsimile: 703-347-8689; or e-mail: 
[email protected].
    For information on the draft assessment, please contact Ted Berner, 
National Center for Environmental Assessment (8601-P), U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone: (703) 347-8583; facsimile: (703) 347-
8689; or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About IRIS

    EPA's IRIS is a human health assessment program that evaluates 
quantitative and qualitative risk information on effects that may 
result from exposure to chemical substances found in the environment. 
Through the IRIS Program, EPA provides the highest quality science-
based human health assessments to support the Agency's regulatory 
activities. The IRIS database contains information for more than 540 
chemical substances that can be used to support the first two steps 
(hazard identification and dose-response evaluation) of the risk 
assessment process. When supported by available data, IRIS provides 
oral reference doses (RfDs) and inhalation reference concentrations 
(RfCs) for chronic noncancer health effects and cancer assessments. 
Combined with specific exposure information, government and private 
entities use IRIS to help characterize public health risks of chemical 
substances in a site-specific situation and thereby support risk 
management decisions designed to protect public health.

II. How To Submit Comments to the Docket at http://www.regulations.gov

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2010-
0540, by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Facsimile: 202-566-1753.
     Mail: Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket 
(Mail Code: 2822T), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. The telephone number is 
202-566-1752. If you provide comments by mail, please submit one 
unbound original with pages numbered consecutively, and three copies of 
the comments. For attachments, provide an index, number pages 
consecutively with the comments, and submit an unbound original and 
three copies.
     Hand Delivery: The OEI Docket is located in the EPA 
Headquarters Docket Center, EPA West Building, Room 3334, 1301 
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public 
Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public 
Reading Room is 202-566-1744. Deliveries are only accepted during the 
docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be 
made for deliveries of boxed information. If you provide comments by 
hand delivery, please submit one unbound original with pages numbered 
consecutively, and three copies of the comments. For attachments, 
provide an index, number pages consecutively with the comments, and 
submit an unbound original and three copies.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2010-0540. Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the 
specified comment period. Comments received after the closing date will 
be marked ``late,'' and may only be considered if time permits. It is 
EPA's policy to include all comments it receives in the public docket 
without change and to make the comments available online at http://www.regulations.gov, including

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any personal information provided, unless comments include 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 
http://www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The http://www.regulations.gov 
Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means that EPA will 
not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in 
the body of your comments. If you send e-mail comments directly to EPA 
without going through http://www.regulations.gov, your e-mail address 
will be automatically captured and included as part of the comments 
that are placed in the public docket and made available on the 
Internet. If you submit electronic comments, EPA recommends that you 
include your name and other contact information in the body of your 
comments and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read 
your comments due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for 
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comments. 
Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters and any 
form of encryption and be free of any defects or viruses. For 
additional information about EPA's public docket, visit the EPA Docket 
Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index. 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, will be publicly available only in hard copy. 
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically 
at http://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the OEI Docket in the 
EPA Headquarters Docket Center.

    Dated: September 20, 2010.
Lynn Flowers,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2010-24580 Filed 9-29-10; 8:45 am]
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