[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 201 (Tuesday, October 19, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64311-64313]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-26023]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


National Toxicology Program (NTP); Office of Liaison, Policy and 
Review Meeting of the NTP Board of Scientific Counselors

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

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ACTION: Meeting announcement and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Public Law 92-463, notice is hereby given of a 
meeting of the NTP Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC). The BSC is a 
federally chartered, external advisory group composed of scientists 
from the public and private sectors that provides primary scientific 
oversight to the NTP Director and evaluates the scientific merit of the 
NTP's intramural and collaborative programs.

DATES: The BSC meeting will be held on November 30--December 1, 2010. 
The deadline for submission of written comments is November 9, 2010, 
and for pre-registration to attend the meeting, including registering 
to present oral comments, is November 16, 2010. Persons needing 
interpreting services in order to attend should contact 301-402-8180 
(voice) or 301-435-1908 (TTY). For other accommodations while on the 
NIEHS campus, contact 919-541-2475 or e-mail [email protected]. 
Requests should be made at least 7 business days in advance of the 
event.

ADDRESSES: The BSC meeting will be held in the Rodbell Auditorium, Rall 
Building at the NIEHS, 111 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle 
Park, NC 27709. Public comments on all agenda topics and any other 
correspondence should be submitted to Dr. Lori White, Designated 
Federal Officer for the BSC, NTP Office of Liaison, Policy and Review, 
NIEHS, P.O. Box 12233, K2-03, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709; 
telephone: 919-541-9834; fax: 919-541-0295; [email protected]. 
Courier address: NIEHS, 530 Davis Drive, Room K2136, Morrisville, NC 
27560.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Lori D. White (telephone: 919-541-
9834 or [email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Preliminary Agenda Topics and Availability of Meeting Materials

     Report of the NIEHS/NTP Director.
     Report of the NTP Associate Director.
     Contract Concept: NTP Sperm Count and Vaginal Cytology.
     Review of the Biomolecular Screening Branch.
     Testing Program Proposed Research Projects.
    The preliminary agenda, roster of BSC members, background 
materials, public comments, and any additional information, when 
available, will be posted on the BSC meeting Web site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165) or may be requested in hardcopy from the 
Designated Federal Officer for the BSC (see ADDRESSES above). Updates 
to the preliminary agenda will also be posted to this site. The draft 
research concepts for the NTP testing program nominations should be 
available on the BSC meeting page (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165) by 
October 19, 2010.
    Following the meeting, summary minutes will be prepared and made 
available on the BSC meeting Web site.

Attendance and Registration

    The meeting is scheduled for November 30--December 1, 2010, 
beginning at 8 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) and continuing to 
approximately 5:30 p.m. on November 30 and until adjournment on 
December 1. This meeting is open to the public with attendance limited 
only by the space available. Individuals who plan to attend are 
encouraged to register online at the BSC meeting Web site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165) by November 16, 2010, to facilitate planning 
for the meeting. Registered attendees are encouraged to access the 
meeting Web site to stay abreast of the most current information 
regarding the meeting. The NTP is making plans to videocast the meeting 
through the Internet at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/video/live.

Request for Comments

    Written comments submitted in response to this notice should be 
received by November 9, 2010. Comments will be posted on the BSC 
meeting Web site and persons submitting them will be identified by 
their name and affiliation and/or sponsoring organization, if 
applicable. Persons submitting written comments should include their 
name, affiliation (if applicable), phone, e-mail, and sponsoring 
organization (if any) with the document.
    Time will be allotted during the meeting for the public to present 
oral comments to the BSC on the agenda topics. In addition to in-person 
oral comments at the meeting at the NIEHS, public comments can be 
presented by teleconference line. There will be 50 lines for this call; 
availability will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The available 
lines will be open from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on November 30, and 
7:30 a.m. until adjournment on December 1, although public comments 
will be received only during the formal public comment periods, which 
are indicated on the preliminary agenda. Each organization is allowed 
one time slot per agenda topic. At least 7 minutes will be allotted to 
each speaker, and if time permits, may be extended to 10 minutes at the 
discretion of the BSC chair. Persons wishing to present oral comments 
are encouraged to pre-register on the NTP meeting Web site and indicate 
whether they will present comments in-person or via the teleconference 
line. The access number for the teleconference line will be provided to 
registrants by e-mail prior to the meeting. Registration for oral 
comments will also be available on both meeting days, although time 
allowed for presentation by these registrants may be less than that for 
pre-registered speakers and will be determined by the number of persons 
who register at the meeting.
    Persons registering to make oral comments are asked to send a copy 
of their statement or PowerPoint slides to the Designated Federal 
Officer for the BSC (see ADDRESSES above) by November 16, 2010, to 
enable review by the BSC prior to the meeting. Written statements can 
supplement and may expand the oral presentation. If registering on-site 
and reading from written text, please bring 40 copies of the statement 
for distribution to the BSC and NTP staff and to supplement the record.

Background Information on NTP Testing Program Nominations and Proposed 
Research Projects

    The NTP actively seeks to identify and select for study chemicals 
and other substances for which sufficient information is not available 
to adequately evaluate potential human health hazards. The NTP 
accomplishes this goal through a formal, open nomination and selection 
process. Substances considered appropriate for study generally fall 
into two broad, yet overlapping categories: (1) Substances judged to 
have high concern as possible public health hazards based on the extent 
of human exposure and/or suspicion of toxicity and (2) substances for 
which toxicological data gaps exist and additional studies would aid in 
assessing potential human health risks, e.g., by facilitating cross-
species extrapolation or evaluating dose-response relationships. 
Nominations are subject to a multi-step, formal process of review 
before selections for testing are made and toxicological studies are 
designed and implemented. The nomination review and selection process 
is accomplished through the participation of representatives from the 
NIEHS, the BSC, the NTP Executive Committee--the NTP Federal 
interagency policy body, and the public. The nomination review and 
selection process is described in further detail on the NTP Web site 
(http://

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ntp.niehs.nih.gov/, select ``Nominations to the Testing Program'').
    The NTP invites interested parties to submit written comments, 
provide supplementary information, or present oral comments at the BSC 
meeting on the nominated substances and preliminary study 
recommendations (see ``Request for Comments'' below). The NTP welcomes 
toxicology study information from completed, ongoing, or anticipated 
studies, as well as information on current U.S. production levels, use 
or consumption patterns, human exposure, environmental occurrence, or 
public health concerns for any of the nominated substances. The NTP is 
interested in identifying appropriate animal and non-animal 
experimental models for mechanistic-based research, including 
genetically modified rodents and high-throughput in vitro test methods, 
and as such, solicits comments regarding the use of specific in vivo 
and in vitro experimental approaches to address questions relevant to 
the nominated substances and issues under consideration. Although the 
deadline for submission of written comments to be considered at the BSC 
meeting is November 16, 2010 (see ``Request for Comments'' above), the 
NTP welcomes comments or additional information on these study 
nominations at any time.
    To facilitate review of the proposed research project by the BSC 
and the public, NTP staff developed a draft research concept document 
for the nomination recommended for study. A research concept is a brief 
document outlining the nomination or study rationale, and the 
significance, study approach, and expected outcome of a proposed 
research program tailored for each nomination. The purpose of a 
research concept is to outline the general elements of a program of 
study that would address the specific issues that prompted the 
nomination and the preliminary study recommendations. A research 
concept may also encompass larger public health issues or topics in 
toxicology that could be appropriately addressed through studies on the 
nominated substance(s). Draft research concepts should be available on 
the BSC meeting page (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165) by October 19, 
2010.

Background Information on the NTP Board of Scientific Counselors

    The BSC is a technical advisory body comprised of scientists from 
the public and private sectors that provides primary scientific 
oversight to the NTP. Specifically, the BSC advises the NTP on matters 
of scientific program content, both present and future, and conducts 
periodic review of the program for the purpose of determining and 
advising on the scientific merit of its activities and their overall 
scientific quality. Its members are selected from recognized 
authorities knowledgeable in fields such as toxicology, pharmacology, 
pathology, biochemistry, epidemiology, risk assessment, carcinogenesis, 
mutagenesis, molecular biology, behavioral toxicology, neurotoxicology, 
immunotoxicology, reproductive toxicology or teratology, and 
biostatistics. Members serve overlapping terms of up to four years. The 
BSC usually meets biannually.

    Dated: October 5, 2010.
John R. Bucher,
Associate Director, National Toxicology Program.
[FR Doc. 2010-26023 Filed 10-18-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P