[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 62 (Friday, March 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 19315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-06678]



[[Page 19315]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


National Toxicology Program Board of Scientific Counselors; 
Announcement of Meeting; Request for Comments

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the next meeting of the National 
Toxicology Program (NTP) Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC). The BSC, 
a federally chartered, external advisory group composed of scientists 
from the public and private sectors, will review and provide advice on 
programmatic activities. This meeting is a virtual meeting and is open 
to the public. Written comments will be accepted and registration is 
required to present oral comments.

DATES: 
    Meeting: Scheduled for May 4, 2023, 12:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Eastern 
Daylight Time (EDT). Ending time is approximate; meeting may end 
earlier or run later.
    Written Public Comment Submissions: Deadline is April 28, 2023.
    Registration for Oral Comments: Deadline is April 28, 2023.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting Web Page: The preliminary agenda, registration, and other 
meeting materials will be available at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165 
by April 10, 2023.
    Virtual Meeting: The URL for viewing the virtual meeting will be 
provided on the meeting web page the day before the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Milene Brownlow, Designated 
Federal Officer for the BSC, Office of Policy, Review, and Outreach, 
Division of Translational Toxicology, NIEHS. Phone: 984-287-3364, 
Email: [email protected]. Hand Deliver/Courier address: 530 Davis 
Drive, Room K2136, Morrisville, NC 27560.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NTP conducted a systematic review to 
evaluate the neurobehavioral health effects from exposure to fluoride 
during development and prepared a Draft State of the Science Monograph 
and a Draft Meta-Analysis Manuscript. Both draft documents were then 
reviewed internally by various Department of Health and Human Services 
(HHS) entities and, additionally, the Draft State of the Science 
Monograph underwent external peer review by five scientific experts. 
Subsequently, the NTP Director decided to seek additional review of 
both documents from the NTP BSC. In 2022, the NTP Director and the NTP 
BSC Chair jointly made the decision to convene an independent working 
group of subject-matter experts to assist the BSC in reviewing the 
input on the Draft State of the Science Monograph and Draft Meta-
Analysis Manuscript along with NTP authors' responses to the comments. 
The BSC Working Group has prepared a report with its recommendations on 
whether the authors sufficiently addressed internal and external 
scientific comments. The preliminary agenda topic for the meeting on 
May 4, 2023, is BSC's deliberation on the BSC Working Group's report.
    The preliminary agenda, working group report, roster of BSC 
members, background materials, public comments, and any additional 
information, when available, will be posted on the BSC meeting web page 
(https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165) and minutes will be available on the 
BSC meeting web page within 90 calendar days of the meeting.
    Meeting Attendance Registration: The meeting is open to the public 
with time scheduled for oral public comments. Registration is not 
required to view the virtual meeting; the URL for the virtual meeting 
will be provided on the BSC meeting web page (https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165), the day before the meeting. TTY users should 
contact the Federal TTY Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Requests should 
be made at least five business days in advance of the event.
    Written Public Comments: NTP invites written public comments. 
Guidelines for public comments are available at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/about_ntp/guidelines_public_comments_508.pdf.
    The deadline for submission of written comments is April 28, 2023. 
Written public comments should be submitted through the meeting web 
page. Persons submitting written comments should include name, 
affiliation, mailing address, phone, email, and sponsoring organization 
(if any). Written comments received in response to this notice will be 
posted on the NTP web page, and the submitter will be identified by 
name, affiliation, and sponsoring organization (if any).
    Oral Public Comment Registration: The agenda allows for one public 
comment period on the agenda topic (up to 12 commenters, up to five 
minutes per speaker). Persons wishing to make an oral comment are 
required to register online at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165 by 
April 28, 2023. Oral comments will be received only during the formal 
comment period indicated on the preliminary agenda. Registration is on 
a first-come, first-served basis. Each organization is allowed one time 
slot. After the maximum number of speakers is exceeded, individuals 
registered to provide oral comment will be placed on a wait list and 
notified should an opening become available. Logistical information for 
presentations will be provided to commenters approximately 2-3 days 
before the meeting.
    If possible, oral public commenters should send a copy of their 
slides and/or statement or talking points to [email protected] by 
April 28, 2023.
    Meeting Materials: The preliminary meeting agenda will be available 
on the meeting web page (https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/165) by April 10, 
2023. Individuals are encouraged to access the meeting web page 
periodically to stay abreast of the most current information regarding 
the meeting.
    Background Information on the BSC: The BSC is a technical advisory 
body comprised of scientists from the public and private sectors that 
provides primary scientific oversight to the NTP. Specifically, the BSC 
advises the NTP on matters of scientific program content, both present 
and future, and conducts periodic review of the program for the purpose 
of determining and advising on the scientific merit of its activities 
and their overall scientific quality. Its members are selected from 
recognized authorities knowledgeable in fields such as toxicology, 
pharmacology, pathology, epidemiology, risk assessment, carcinogenesis, 
mutagenesis, cellular biology, computational toxicology, 
neurotoxicology, genetic toxicology, reproductive toxicology or 
teratology, and biostatistics. Members serve overlapping terms of up to 
four years. The BSC usually meets periodically. The authority for the 
BSC is provided by 42 U.S.C. 217a, section 222 of the Public Health 
Service Act (PHS), as amended.
    The BSC is governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. ch. 10), which sets forth standards 
for the formation and use of advisory committees.

    Dated: March 27, 2023.
Richard P. Woychik,
Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and 
National Toxicology Program, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2023-06678 Filed 3-30-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P