[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 86 (Friday, May 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21239-21240]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-09149]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket Number CDC-2017-0048, NIOSH 156-C]


Request for the Technical Review of 4 Draft Immediately Dangerous 
to Life or Health (IDLH) Value Profile Documents

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: Request for information and comments.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces four (4) draft 
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) Value Profile documents 
now available for public comment.

Table of Contents

Dates
Addresses
For Further Information Contact
Supplementary Information
Background
Reference

DATES: Electronic or written comments must be received by June 19, 
2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit responses, identified by CDC-2017-0048 and 
docket number NIOSH 156-C, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health, NIOSH Docket Office, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, MS C-34, Cincinnati, 
Ohio 45226-1998.
    Instructions: All information received in response to this notice 
must include the agency name and docket number [CDC-2017-0048; NIOSH 
156-C]. All relevant responses received will be posted without change 
to www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. 
For access to the docket to read background documents or information 
received, go to www.regulations.gov. All information received in 
response to this notice will also be available for public examination 
and copying at the NIOSH Docket Office, 1150 Tusculum Avenue, Room 155, 
Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: G. Scott Dotson, NIOSH, Education and 
Information Division, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, C-32, Cincinnati, OH 45226, 
telephone (513) 533-8540 (not a toll free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIOSH seeks comments on four (4) draft IDLH 
values and IDLH Value Profile documents. The draft IDLH Value Profile 
documents were developed to provide the scientific rationale behind 
derivation of IDLH values for the following chemicals:

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               Document #                             Chemical                               CAS
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B-01....................................  Acetonitrile....................  (# 75-05-8)
B-02....................................  Chloroacetonitrile..............  (# 107-14-2)
B-03....................................  Methacrylonitrile...............  (# 126-98-7)
B-04....................................  Nitrogen dioxide................  (# 10102-44-0)
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    Each IDLH Value Profile document provides a detailed summary of the 
health hazards of acute exposures to high airborne concentrations and 
the rationale for the proposed IDLH value with the chemical(s) of 
interest.
    To facilitate the review of these documents, NIOSH requests that 
the following questions be taken into consideration:

    1. Does this document clearly outline the health hazards associated 
with acute (or short-term) exposures to the chemical? If not, what 
specific information is missing from the document?
    2. Are the rationale and logic behind the derivation of an IDLH 
value for a specific chemical clearly explained? If not, what specific 
information is needed to clarify the basis of the IDLH value?
    3. Are the conclusions supported by the data?
    4. Are the tables clear and appropriate?
    5. Is the document organized appropriately? If not, what 
improvements are needed?
    6. Are you aware of any scientific data reported in governmental 
publications, databases, peer-reviewed journals, or other sources that 
should be included within this document?

    Background: In 2013, NIOSH published Current Intelligence Bulletin 
(CIB) 66--Derivation of Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) 
Values [NIOSH 2013]. Since the establishment of the IDLH values in the 
1970s, NIOSH has continued to review available scientific data to 
improve the protocol used to derive acute exposure guidelines, in 
addition to the chemical-specific IDLH values. The information 
presented in this CIB represents the most recent update of the 
scientific rationale and the methodology (hereby referred to as the 
IDLH methodology) used to derive IDLH values. The primary objectives of 
this document are to:

1. Provide a brief history of the development of IDLH values
2. Update the scientific bases and risk assessment methodology used to 
derive IDLH values from quality data

[[Page 21240]]

3. Provide transparency behind the rationale and derivation process for 
IDLH values
4. Demonstrate how scientifically credible IDLH values can be derived 
from available data resources

    The IDLH methodology is based on a weight-of-evidence approach that 
applies scientific judgment for critical evaluation of the quality and 
consistency of scientific data and in extrapolation from the available 
data to the IDLH value. The weight-of-evidence approach refers to 
critical examination of all available data from diverse lines of 
evidence and the derivation of a scientific interpretation on the basis 
of the collective body of data, including its relevance, quality, and 
reported results. Conceptually, the derivation process for IDLH values 
is similar to that used in other risk-assessment applications, 
including these steps:

1. Hazard characterization
2. Identification of critical adverse effects
3. Identification of a point of departure (POD)
4. Application of appropriate uncertainty factors (UFs), based on the 
study and POD
5. Determination of the final risk value

Reference

NIOSH [2013]. Current intelligence bulletin 66: derivation of 
immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) values. Cincinnati, 
OH: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety 
and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication 2014-100.

John Howard,
Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2017-09149 Filed 5-4-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-19-P