[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 126 (Friday, June 29, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38799-38801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16027]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2012-0459; FRL-9695-1]


Draft Toxicological Review of 1,2,3-, 1,2,4-, and 1,3,5-
Trimethylbenzene: In Support of the Summary Information in 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 1,2,3-, 1,2,4-, and 1,3,5-
Trimethylbenzene: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated 
Risk Information System (IRIS)'' (EPA/635/R-11/012A). 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 for the purposes of 
public comment and peer review. This draft assessment is not final as 
described in EPA's information quality guidelines, and it does not 
represent and should not be construed to represent Agency policy or 
views.
    EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) will convene an expert panel for 
independent external peer review of the draft assessment. The EPA SAB 
is a body established under the Federal Advisory Committee Act with a 
broad mandate to advise the Agency on scientific matters. The public 
comment period and the SAB peer review are separate processes that 
provide opportunities for all interested parties to comment on the 
document. The SAB will schedule one or more public peer review 
meetings, which will be announced in the Federal Register at a later 
date.
    EPA is also announcing a listening session to be held on Wednesday, 
August 1, 2012, during the public comment period. The purpose of the 
listening session is to allow all interested parties to present 
scientific and technical comments on the draft IRIS health assessment 
to EPA and other interested parties attending the listening session. 
EPA welcomes the scientific and technical 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.

DATES: The public comment period begins, June 29, 2012, and ends August 
28, 2012. Technical comments should be in writing and must be received 
by EPA by August 28, 2012.
    The listening session on the draft IRIS health assessment for 
1,2,3-, 1,2,4-, and 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene (TMB) will be held on August 
1, 2012, beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m., Eastern Time, or 
when the last presentation has been completed. If you would like to 
make a presentation at the listening session, you should register by 
July 25, 2012, following the detailed instructions below under 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: The draft ``Toxicological Review of 1,2,3-, 1,2,4-, and 
1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene: 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, NCEA; 
telephone: 703-347-8561; facsimile: 703-347-8691. If you request a 
paper copy, please provide your name, mailing address, and the document 
title.
    The listening session on the draft assessment of TMB will be held 
at the EPA offices at Two Potomac Yard (North Building), 7th Floor, 
Room 7100, 2733 South Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia, 22202. There 
are two buildings at Potomac Yard, please be sure you go to Building 
Two, the North Building. Please note that to gain entrance to this EPA 
building, attendees must register at

[[Page 38800]]

the guard's desk in the lobby and present photo identification. The 
guard will retain your photo identification and provide you with a 
visitor's badge. At the guard's desk, attendees should give 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 TMB 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 at 703-347-8592 or [email protected]. To 
request accommodation of 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information about IRIS

    IRIS is a database that contains potential adverse human health 
effects information that may result from chronic (or lifetime) exposure 
to specific chemical substances found in the environment. The database 
(available on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/iris) contains 
qualitative and quantitative health effects information for more than 
540 chemical substances that may be used to support the first two steps 
(hazard identification and dose-response evaluation) of a risk 
assessment process. When supported by available data, the database 
provides oral reference doses (RfDs) and inhalation reference 
concentrations (RfCs) for chronic health effects, and oral slope 
factors and inhalation unit risks for carcinogenic effects. Combined 
with specific exposure information, IRIS data are used by government 
and private entities to help characterize public health risks of 
chemical substances in site-specific situations and thereby support 
risk management decisions designed to protect public health.

II. How To Register for the Listening Session

    To attend the August 1, 2012, listening session, register by July 
25, 2012, by sending an email to [email protected] (subject 
line: TMB Listening Session); by calling Christine Ross at 703-347-
8592; or by faxing a registration request to 703-347-8689. Please 
reference the ``TMB Listening Session'' and include your name, title, 
affiliation, sponsoring organization, if any, full address, and contact 
information. To present at the listening session, indicate in your 
registration that you would like to make oral comments and provide the 
length of your presentation. When you register, please indicate if you 
will need audio-visual aid (e.g., lap top and slide projector). In 
general, each presentation should be no more than 30 minutes. If, 
however, there are more requests for presentations than 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 July 25, 
2012, the listening session will be cancelled and EPA will notify those 
registered of the cancellation.

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

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2012-
0459 by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 202-566-9744.
     Mail: Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket 
(Mail Code: 28221T), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202-
566-1752.
     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's 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 
mail or 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 for submitting comments to the EPA Docket: Direct your 
comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2012-0459. 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 
any personal information provided, unless a 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 http://www.regulations.gov or email. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site 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 email comment 
directly to EPA without going through http://www.regulations.gov, your 
email address will be automatically captured and included as part of 
the comment that is placed in the public 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. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center 
homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
    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 
in http://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the OEI Docket in the 
EPA Headquarters Docket Center.

[[Page 38801]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the federal docket, 
contact the Office of Environmental Information Docket; telephone: 202-
566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-9744; or email: [email protected].
    For information on the public listening session, please contact 
Christine Ross, IRIS Staff, National Center for Environmental 
Assessment, (8601P), U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 703-347-8592; facsimile: 703-347-8689; 
or email: [email protected].
    If you have questions about the document, contact Allen Davis, 
National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA); telephone: 919-
541-3789; facsimile: 919-541-0245; or email: [[email protected]].

    Dated: June 12, 2012.
Darrell A. Winner,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2012-16027 Filed 6-28-12; 8:45 am]
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