[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 3, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20103-20104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07765]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-1064; FRL-9797-6]


Radiation Protection Guidance for Diagnostic and Interventional 
X-Ray Procedures

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is 
announcing the availability of, and soliciting public comments for 60 
days, on Radiation Protection Guidance for Diagnostic and 
Interventional X-Ray Procedures. This document is Federal Guidance 
Report No. 14. It replaces Federal Guidance Report No. 9, ``Radiation 
Protection Guidance for Diagnostic X-rays,'' which was released in 
October 1976. The recommendations contained in this report represent 
consensus judgment of an interagency Medical Work Group for the 
practice of diagnostic and interventional imaging by Federal agencies.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 3, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2010-1064, by one of the following methods:
     www.regulations.gov: Follow the online instructions for 
submitting comments.
     Email: to [email protected]
     Fax: (202) 566-1741
     Mail: Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, 
Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Attn: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2010-1064. The agency's policy is that all comments received will 
be included in the public docket without change and may be made 
available online at www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided, unless the 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 
www.regulations.gov or email. The 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 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.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the 
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 electronically at 
www.regulations.gov. As provided in EPA's regulations at 40 CFR Part 2, 
and in accordance with normal EPA docket procedures, if copies of any 
docket materials are requested, a reasonable fee may be charged for 
photocopying.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Boyd, Radiation Protection 
Division, Mail Code 6608J, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC, 20460; telephone number: 202-343-
9395; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

A. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit CBI information to EPA through 
www.regulations.gov or email. Clearly mark the part or all of the 
information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI

[[Page 20104]]

information in a disk or CD ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside 
of the disk or CD ROM as CBI and then identify electronically within 
the disk or CD ROM the specific information that is claimed as CBI). In 
addition to one complete version of the comment that includes 
information claimed as CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain 
the information claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the 
public docket. Information so marked will not be disclosed except in 
accordance with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
    2. Tips for Preparing Your Comments. When submitting comments, 
remember to:
     Identify the rulemaking by docket number and other 
identifying information (subject heading, Federal Register date and 
page number).
     Follow directions--The agency may ask you to respond to 
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
     Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives 
and substitute language for your requested changes.
     Describe any assumptions and provide any technical 
information and/or data that you used.
     If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how 
you arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be 
reproduced.
     Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns, and 
suggest alternatives.
     Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the 
use of profanity or personal threats.
     Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period 
deadline identified.

II. Background

    This document is Federal Guidance Report No. 14 (FGR 14), 
``Radiation Protection Guidance for Diagnostic and Interventional X-ray 
Procedures.'' It replaces Federal Guidance Report No. 9, ``Radiation 
Protection Guidance for Diagnostic X-rays,'' which was released in 
October 1976. Federal Guidance reports were initiated under the Federal 
Radiation Council (FRC), which was formed in 1959, through Executive 
Order 10831. A decade later its functions were transferred to the 
Administrator of the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
as part of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970. Under these authorities 
it is the responsibility of the Administrator to ``advise the President 
with respect to radiation matters, directly or indirectly affecting 
health, including guidance for all Federal agencies in the formulation 
of radiation standards and in the establishment and execution of 
programs of cooperation with States.'' (42 U.S.C. 2021(h)) While EPA 
believes that this guidance will be useful to the broader medical 
community, the recommendations in FGR 14 are specifically directed to 
the use of diagnostic and interventional x-rays in federal facilities. 
A draft version of FGR 14 is now available for review and comment. It 
can be found on the agency's Radiation Protection Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/radiation.

    Dated: March 27, 2013.
Michael P. Flynn,
Director, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air.
[FR Doc. 2013-07765 Filed 4-2-13; 8:45 am]
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