[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 228 (Monday, November 29, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73080-73082]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-29939]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9232-9]


Science Advisory Board Staff Office; Request for Nominations of 
Experts for the SAB Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Review Panel

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office is 
requesting public nominations of experts to form an SAB panel to review 
EPA's non-cancer health effects assessment for Polychlorinated 
Biphenyls (PCBs).

DATES: Nominations should be submitted by December 20, 2010 per 
instructions below.

[[Page 73081]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Any member of the public wishing 
further information regarding this Notice and Request for Nominations 
may contact Dr. Diana Wong, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), SAB Staff 
Office, by telephone/voice mail at (202) 564-2049, by fax at (202) 565-
2098, or via e-mail at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b0c7dfded79ed4d9d1ded19dfdf0d5c0d19ed7dfc6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="166179787138727f7778773b5b5673667738717960">[email protected]</span></a>. General information 
concerning the EPA Science Advisory Board can be found at the EPA SAB 
Web site at http//www.epa.gov/sab.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) 
have been utilized for various commercial applications, such as 
insulating fluids, hydraulic and lubricating fluids, heat exchanger 
fluids, and additives in adhesives and paints. PCBs are widespread in 
the environment and represent a public health concern.
    At present, there are IRIS reference doses (RfDs) for two 
commercial PCB mixtures: Aroclor 1016 and Aroclor 1254 that were last 
updated in 1993 and 1994, respectively. EPA's Office of Research and 
Development (ORD) is developing a draft assessment of the potential 
noncancer health hazards of complex PCB mixtures for inclusion on EPA's 
Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). The new assessment will 
review current science with the goal of establishing an RfD for 
application to complex PCB mixtures.
    The EPA's National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) has 
requested the SAB to review ORD's draft assessment of the potential 
noncancer health hazards of PCBs. The SAB Staff Office will form an 
expert panel to review the PCBs assessment. The SAB (42 U.S.C. 4365) is 
a chartered Federal Advisory Committee that provides independent 
scientific and technical peer review, advice, consultation, and 
recommendations to the EPA Administrator on the technical basis for EPA 
actions. As a Federal Advisory Committee, the SAB conducts business in 
accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5 U.S.C. 
App. 2) and related regulations. The SAB Panel will comply with the 
provisions of FACA and all appropriate SAB Staff Office procedural 
policies.
    Request for Nominations: The SAB Staff Office is seeking 
nominations of nationally and internationally recognized scientists 
with demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following areas, 
particularly with respect to PCBs: General toxicology, 
neurodevelopmental toxicology, immunotoxicology, endocrinology, 
reproductive toxicology, toxicokinetics, physiologically-based 
pharmacokinetic modeling, epidemiology, statistics, dose-response 
assessment, and risk assessment.
    Availability of the review materials: The Polychlorinated Biphenyls 
(PCBs) noncancer IRIS assessment to be reviewed by the PCBs Review 
Panel will be available by the Office of Research and Development at 
the following URL: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris_drafts/. and at the 
SAB Web site http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabpeople.nsf/WebCommittees/BOARD. For questions concerning the PCBs Assessment, please contact Dr. 
Geniece Lehmann of EPA's NCEA by phone (919) 541-2289, fax (919) 541-
0245, or e-mail (<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f69a939e9b979898d89193989f939593b6938697d8919980"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5c303934313d3232723b393235393f391c392c3d723b332a">[email protected]</span></a>).
    Process and Deadline for Submitting Nominations: Any interested 
person or organization may nominate qualified individuals in the areas 
of expertise described above for possible service on this expert Panel. 
Nominations should be submitted in electronic format (which is 
preferred over hard copy) following the instructions for ``Nominating 
Experts to Advisory Panels and Ad Hoc Committees Being Formed'' 
provided on the SAB Web site. The instructions can be accessed through 
the ``Nomination of Experts'' link on the blue navigational bar on the 
SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab. To receive full consideration, 
nominations should include all of the information requested below.
    EPA's SAB Staff Office requests contact information about the 
person making the nomination; contact information about the nominee; 
the disciplinary and specific areas of expertise of the nominee; the 
nominee's curriculum vita; sources of recent grant and/or contract 
support; and a biographical sketch of the nominee indicating current 
position, educational background, research activities, and recent 
service on other national advisory committees or national professional 
organizations.
    Persons having questions about the nomination procedures, or who 
are unable to submit nominations through the SAB Web site, should 
contact Dr. Diana Wong, DFO, as indicated above in this notice. 
Nominations should be submitted in time to arrive no later than 
December 20, 2010. EPA values and welcomes diversity. In an effort to 
obtain nominations of diverse candidates, EPA encourages nominations of 
women and men of all racial and ethnic groups.
    The EPA SAB Staff Office will acknowledge receipt of nominations. 
The names and bio-sketches of qualified nominees identified by 
respondents to this Federal Register notice, and additional experts 
identified by the SAB Staff, will be posted in a List of Candidates on 
the SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab. Public comments on this 
List of Candidates will be accepted for 21 calendar days. The public 
will be requested to provide relevant information or other 
documentation on nominees that the SAB Staff Office should consider in 
evaluating candidates.
    For the EPA SAB Staff Office, a review panel includes candidates 
who possess the necessary domains of knowledge, the relevant scientific 
perspectives (which, among other factors, can be influenced by work 
history and affiliation), and the collective breadth of experience to 
adequately address the charge. In forming this expert panel, the SAB 
Staff Office will consider public comments on the List of Candidates, 
information provided by the candidates themselves, and background 
information independently gathered by the SAB Staff Office. Selection 
criteria to be used for Panel membership include: (a) Scientific and/or 
technical expertise, knowledge, and experience (primary factors); (b) 
availability and willingness to serve; (c) absence of financial 
conflicts of interest; (d) absence of an appearance of a lack of 
impartiality; and (e) skills working in committees, subcommittees and 
advisory panels; and, (f) for the Panel as a whole, diversity of 
expertise and viewpoints.
    The SAB Staff Office's evaluation of an absence of financial 
conflicts of interest will include a review of the ``Confidential 
Financial Disclosure Form for Special Government Employees Serving on 
Federal Advisory Committees at the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency'' (EPA Form 3110-48). This confidential form allows Government 
officials to determine whether there is a statutory conflict between 
that person's public responsibilities (which includes membership on an 
EPA Federal advisory committee) and private interests and activities, 
or the appearance of a lack of impartiality, as defined by Federal 
regulation. The form may be viewed and downloaded from the following 
URL address http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/epaform3110-48.pdf.
    The approved policy under which the EPA SAB Office selects 
subcommittees and review panels is described in the following document: 
Overview of the Panel Formation Process at the Environmental Protection 
Agency Science Advisory Board (EPA-SAB-EC-02-010), which is posted on 
the SAB

[[Page 73082]]

Web site at http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/ec02010.pdf.

    Dated: November 18, 2010.
Anthony Maciorowski,
Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. 2010-29939 Filed 11-26-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


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