[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 111 (Friday, June 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26685-26686]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12364]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket Number CDC-2018-0055, NIOSH 156-D]


Request for the Technical Review of 3 Draft Immediately Dangerous 
to Life or Health (IDLH) Value Profiles

AGENCY: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

[[Page 26686]]

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces the 
availability of three (3) draft Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health 
(IDLH) Value Profiles now available for public comment for the 
chemicals bromine trifluoride, chlorine trifluoride, and ethylene 
dibromide. To view the notice and related materials, visit 
www.regulations.gov and enter CDC-2018-0055 in the search field and 
click ``Search.''

Table of Contents

 Dates
 Addresses
 For Further Information Contact
 Supplementary Information
 Background
 Reference

DATES: Electronic or written comments must be received by August 7, 
2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by CDC-2018-0055 and 
docket number NIOSH 156-D, 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-2018-0055; NIOSH 
156-D]. All relevant comments 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 comments 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:  R. Todd Niemeier, NIOSH, Robert A. 
Taft Laboratories, MS-C32, 1090 Tusculum, Cincinnati, OH 45226, 
telephone (513) 533-8166 (not a toll free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIOSH is requesting technical reviews of the 
three (3) draft IDLH Value Profiles. 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?
    NIOSH seeks comments on 3 draft IDLH values and IDLH Value 
Profiles. The draft IDLH Value Profiles were developed to provide the 
scientific rationale behind derivation of IDLH values for the following 
chemicals:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Document No.                  Chemical             CAS No.
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C-01..........................  Bromine Trifluoride..        (7787-71-5)
C-02..........................  Chlorine Trifluoride.        (7790-91-2)
C-03..........................  Ethylene Dibromide...         (106-93-4)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Each IDLH Value Profile 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.
    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.
    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 POD.
    4. Application of appropriate 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: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational 
Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication 2014-100.

    Dated: June 5, 2018.
John J. Howard,
Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2018-12364 Filed 6-7-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-19-P