[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42303-42304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-18019]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Docket Number CDC-2018-0059; NIOSH-315]


Request for Information About Inorganic Lead (CAS No. 7439-92-1)

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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
(NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) intends 
to evaluate the scientific data on inorganic lead, to develop updated 
recommendations on the potential health risks, medical surveillance, 
recommended measures for safe handling, and to establish an updated 
Recommended Exposure Limit (REL).

DATES: Electronic or written comments must be received by October 22, 
2018.

[[Page 42304]]


ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by CDC-2018-0059 and 
Docket Number NIOSH-315, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health, NIOSH Docket Office, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, MS-C34, Cincinnati, 
Ohio 45226-1998.
    Instructions: All information received in response to this notice 
must include the agency name and docket number [CDC-2018-0059; NIOSH-
315]. All relevant comments received will be posted without change to 
https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided. For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to https://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 Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 
45226-1998, telephone (513) 533-8166 (not a toll free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Inorganic lead is a naturally occurring 
soft, gray metal used in various forms since ancient times. 
Occupational exposures occur in a wide range of industries including, 
but not limited to, the following: Construction, smelting and refining, 
firing ranges, automobile repair, electronic waste recycling, metal 
recycling, and many others. Significant occupational exposures to 
inorganic lead are through inhalation, ingestion, and through the skin, 
principally through damaged skin.
    The current NIOSH REL for inorganic lead is 50 micrograms per cubic 
meter ([mu]g/m\3\) as a time-weighted average (TWA) concentration for 
an 8-hr work shift during a 40-hr workweek [NIOSH 2007].
    NIOSH is requesting information on the following: (1) De-identified 
(without personally identifiable information such as name, social 
security number, date of birth, etc.) inorganic lead breathing zone 
airborne exposure measurements with corresponding blood lead level 
concentrations; (2) information on possible health effects observed in 
workers exposed to inorganic lead, including exposure data (airborne, 
blood, and/or surface) and the method(s) used for sampling and 
analyzing exposures; (3) description of work tasks and scenarios with a 
potential for exposure to inorganic lead; (4) information on control 
measures (e.g., engineering controls, work practices, personal 
protective equipment, exposure data before and after implementation of 
control measures) that are being used in workplaces with potential 
exposure to inorganic lead; (5) surveillance findings including 
protocol, methods, and results; and (6) other relevant information 
related to occupational exposure to inorganic lead.
    Background: The current Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) for 
inorganic lead is 50 [mu]g/m\3\ as a Time-weighted Average (TWA) 
concentration for an 8-hour work shift during a 40-hour workweek [NIOSH 
2007]. As part of an effort to identify RELs that may not be adequate 
to protect workers from adverse health effects due to exposure, NIOSH 
is reexamining the REL for inorganic lead. The Occupational Safety and 
Health Administration (OSHA) lead standard, 29 CFR 1910.1025, 
established a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for inorganic lead at 50 
[mu]g/m\3\ for an 8-hour period with an action level of 30 [mu]g/m\3\ 
for an 8-hour period [CFR 2018]. The American Conference of 
Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH[supreg]) threshold limit 
value (TLV[supreg])-TWA for lead and inorganic compounds is 50 [mu]g/
m\3\ with an A3 carcinogenicity classification (confirmed animal 
carcinogen with unknown relevance to humans) [ACGIH 2018].
    Information Needs: NIOSH seeks to obtain materials, including 
published and unpublished reports and research findings, to evaluate 
the possible health risks of occupational exposure to inorganic lead. 
Examples of requested information include, but are not limited to, the 
following:
    (1) Identification of industries or occupations in which exposures 
to inorganic lead may occur.
    (2) Trends in the production and use of inorganic lead.
    (3) Description of work tasks and scenarios with a potential for 
exposure to inorganic lead.
    (4) Workplace exposure measurement data of inorganic lead (airborne 
and surface) in various types of industries and jobs with an emphasis 
on de-identified, breathing zone airborne inorganic lead exposures with 
corresponding blood lead levels. De-identified data do not contain 
personally identifiable information that can be used to distinguish or 
trace an individual's identity.
    (5) Case reports or other health information demonstrating 
potential health effects in workers exposed to inorganic lead.
    (6) Information on control measures (e.g., engineering controls, 
work practices, PPE) being taken to minimize worker exposure to 
inorganic lead.
    (7) Educational materials for worker safety and training on the 
safe handling of inorganic lead.
    (8) Data pertaining to the feasibility of establishing a more 
protective REL for inorganic lead.

References

ACGIH [2018]. 2018 TLVs[supreg] and BEIs[supreg]: Threshold limit 
values for chemical substances and physical agents and biological 
exposure indices. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of 
Governmental Industrial Hygienists.
CFR [2018]. Code of Federal Regulations. Washington, DC: U.S. 
Government Printing Office, Office of the Federal Register.
NIOSH [2007]. NIOSH pocket guide to chemical hazards. Barsan ME, ed. 
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 No. 2005-
149. [http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/].

    Dated: August 16, 2018.
Frank J. Hearl,
Chief of Staff, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2018-18019 Filed 8-20-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P