[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 246 (Thursday, December 23, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80819-80820]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-32328]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket Number NIOSH 161-A]


Draft Current Intelligence Bulletin ``Occupational Exposure to 
Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers''

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 meeting and availability of draft document for 
public comment.

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SUMMARY: On Wednesday, April 8, 2009 [74 FR 15985], the National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced in the Federal Register 
plans to evaluate the scientific data on carbon nanotubes and to issue 
its findings on the potential health risks. A draft Current 
Intelligence Bulletin entitled ``Occupational Exposure to Carbon 
Nanotubes and Nanofibers'' has been developed which contains an 
assessment of the toxicological data and provides recommendations for 
the safe handling of these materials. NIOSH is seeking comments on the 
draft document and plans to have a public meeting to discuss the 
document. The draft document and instructions for submitting comments 
can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket/review/docket161A/default.html. This guidance publication does not have the force or 
effect of the law.
    Public Comment Period: Comments must be received by February 18, 
2011.
    Public Meeting Time and Date: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., February 3, 2011.
    Place: Millennium Hotel Cincinnati, Grand Ballroom A, 150 West 5th 
Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
    Purpose of Meeting: To discuss and obtain comments on the draft 
document, ``Occupational Exposure to Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers''. 
Special emphasis will be placed on discussion of the following:
    (1) Whether the hazard identification, risk estimation, and 
discussion of health effects for carbon nanotubes and nanofibers are a 
reasonable reflection of the current understanding of the evidence in 
the scientific literature;
    (2) Workplaces and occupations where exposure to carbon nanotubes 
and nanofibers occur;
    (3) Current strategies for controlling occupational exposure to 
carbon nanotubes and nanofibers (e.g., engineering controls, work 
practices, personal protective equipment;
    (4) Current exposure measurement methods and challenges in 
measuring workplace exposures to carbon nanotubes and nanofibers;
    (5) Areas for future collaborative efforts (e.g., research, 
communication, development of exposure measurement and control 
strategies).
    Status: The forum will include scientists and representatives from 
various government agencies, industry, labor, and other stakeholders, 
and is open to the public. Attendance is limited only by the space 
available. The meeting room accommodates 100 people. Interested parties 
should contact the NIOSH Docket Office at [email protected], (513) 
533-8611, or fax (513) 533-8285, for information about how to register 
for the meeting. Due to limited space, notification of intent to attend 
the meeting must be made to the NIOSH Docket Office no later than 
January 28, 2011. Priority for attendance will be given to those 
providing oral comments. Other requests to attend the meeting will then 
be accommodated on a first-come basis.
    Persons wanting to provide oral comments will be permitted 15 
minutes. If additional time becomes available, presenters will be 
notified. All requests to present should contain the name, address, 
telephone number, and relevant business affiliations of the presenter, 
topic of the presentation, and

[[Page 80820]]

the approximate time requested for the presentation. Oral comments made 
at the public meeting must also be submitted to the NIOSH Docket Office 
in writing in order to be considered by the Agency.
    Request for Information: NIOSH seeks to obtain materials, including 
published and unpublished reports and research findings, to evaluate 
the possible health risks of occupational exposure to carbon nanotubes 
and nanofibers. Examples of requested information include, but are not 
to be limited to:
    (1) Identification of industries or occupations in which exposures 
to carbon nanotubes and nanofibers can occur;
    (2) Trends in the production and use of carbon nanotubes and 
nanofibers;
    (3) Exposure measurement data;
    (4) Case reports or other health information demonstrating possible 
health effects in workers exposed to carbon nanotubes or nanofibers;
    (5) Reports of experimental in vivo and in vitro studies that 
provide evidence of a dose-relationship between exposure to carbon 
nanotubes and nanofibers and biological activity;
    (6) Reports of experimental data on the airborne characteristics of 
carbon nanotubes or nanofibers, including information on the amounts 
that are inhalable and respirable;
    (7) Criteria and rationale for including workers in a medical 
surveillance and screening program;
    (8) Description of work practices and engineering controls used to 
reduce or prevent workplace exposure to carbon nanotubes and 
nanofibers; and
    (9) Educational materials for worker safety and training on the 
safe handling of carbon nanotubes and nanofibers.

ADDRESSES: Written comments or requests to attend or present at the 
meeting, identified by docket number NIOSH-161-A, may be submitted by 
any of the following ways:
     Mail: NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, 
MS-C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226.
     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, Room 111, Cincinnati, OH 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. All electronic comments should be formatted as 
Microsoft Word. Please make reference to docket number NIOSH 161-A.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ralph D. Zumwalde, NIOSH, Robert A. 
Taft Laboratories MS-C32, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226, 
telephone (513) 533-8320.

    Dated: December 13, 2010.
Tanja Popovic,
Deputy Associate Director for Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2010-32328 Filed 12-22-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P