[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 103 (Thursday, May 28, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32037-32038]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-11467]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-ORD-2018-0655; FRL-10010-28-ORD]


Availability of the Systematic Review Protocol for the 
Methylmercury Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Assessment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 45-
day public comment period associated with release of the Systematic 
Review Protocol for the Methylmercury (MeHg) IRIS Assessment. This 
document communicates the rationale for conducting the assessment of 
methylmercury, describes screening criteria to identify relevant 
literature, outlines the approach for evaluating study quality, and 
describes the dose-response methods.

DATES: The 45-day public comment period begins May 28, 2020 and ends 
July 13, 2020. Comments must be received on or before July 13, 2020.

ADDRESSES: The Systematic Review Protocol for Methylmercury will be 
available via the internet on the IRIS website at https://www.epa.gov/iris and in the public docket at https://www.regulations.gov, Docket 
ID: EPA-HQ-ORD-2018-0655.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    For information on the docket, contact the ORD Docket at the EPA 
Headquarters Docket Center; telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile: 202-
566-9744; or email: [email protected].
    For technical information on the protocol, contact Dr. James Avery, 
Center for Public Health & Environmental Assessment; telephone: 202-
564-1494; or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background Information on the IRIS Program and Systematic Review 
Protocols

    EPA's IRIS Program is a human health assessment program that 
evaluates quantitative and qualitative information on effects that may 
result from exposure to chemicals found in the environment. Through the 
IRIS Program, EPA provides high quality science-based human health 
assessments to support the Agency's regulatory activities and decisions 
to protect public health.
    As part of developing a draft IRIS assessment, EPA presents a 
methods document, referred to as the protocol, for conducting a 
chemical-specific systematic review of the available scientific 
literature. EPA is seeking public comment on components of the protocol 
including the described strategies for literature searches, criteria 
for study inclusion or exclusion, considerations for evaluating study 
methods, information management for extracting data, approaches for 
synthesis within and across lines of evidence, and methods for 
derivation of toxicity values. Additionally, key scientific issues that 
warrant consideration in this assessment are identified in Section 2.5. 
The protocol serves to inform the subsequent development of the draft 
assessment and is made available to the public. EPA may update the 
protocol based on the evaluation of the literature, and any updates 
will be posted to the docket and on the IRIS website.

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

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2018-
0655 for methylmercury, by one of the following methods:
     https://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: 202-566-9744. Due to COVID-19, there may be a delay 
in processing comments submitted by fax.
     Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket 
Center (ORD Docket), Mail Code: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202-566-1752. Due to COVID-
19, there may be a delay in processing comments submitted by mail.
    Note: The EPA Docket Center and Reading Room is currently closed to 
public visitors to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19. Docket 
Center staff will continue to provide remote customer service via 
email, phone, and webform. The public can submit comments via 
www.Regulations.gov or email. No hand deliveries are currently being 
accepted.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to EPA-HQ-ORD-2018-0655 for 
methylmercury. 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 
https://www.regulations.gov, including any

[[Page 32038]]

personal information provided, unless a comment includes information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information for which disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not 
submit information through https://www.regulations.gov or email that 
you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected. The https://www.regulations.gov website 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 https://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 https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Docket: Documents in the docket are listed in the https://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 materials, 
such as copyrighted material, are publicly available only in hard copy. 
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically 
in https://www.regulations.gov or as a hard copy at the ORD Docket in 
the EPA Headquarters Docket Center.

    Dated: May 21, 2020.
Wayne Cascio,
Director, Center for Public Health & Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2020-11467 Filed 5-27-20; 8:45 am]
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