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[Federal Register: June 14, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 113)]
[Notices]               
[Page 33615-33616]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14jn10-50]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9162-4; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2010-0395]

 
Draft EPA's Reanalysis of Key Issues Related to Dioxin Toxicity 
and Response to NAS Comments (EPA/600/R-10/038A)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of Listening Session.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing a listening session to be held on July 9, 
2010, during the public comment period for the external review draft 
document entitled ``EPA's Reanalysis of Key Issues Related to Dioxin 
Toxicity and Response to NAS Comments'' (EPA/600/R-10/038A). The EPA's 
draft document and peer review charge are available via the Internet on 
the National Center for Environmental Assessment's (NCEA) home page 
under the Recent Additions and Publications menus at http://www.epa.gov/ncea. This draft document responds to the key 
recommendations and comments included in the National Academy of 
Sciences (NAS) 2006 report. In addition, it includes new analyses on 
potential human effects that may result from exposure to 2,3,7,8-
tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD).
    The release of the draft document for public comment was announced 
in a May 21, 2010, Federal Register Notice (75 FR 28610). EPA also 
announced that it intends to forward all public comments submitted 
before July 7, 2010, in response to the May 21, 2010, Notice, to the 
EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) peer review panel for its 
consideration and provided instructions for submitting comments.
    The draft document is also being provided to the SAB, a body 
established under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, for independent 
external peer review. The SAB is convening an expert panel composed of 
scientists knowledgeable about technical issues related to dioxins and 
risk assessment. The SAB is holding a public teleconference on June 24, 
2010, and a public panel meeting on July 13-15, 2010. The SAB peer 
review meetings were announced by the SAB staff office in a separate 
May 24, 2010, Federal Register Notice (75 FR 28805). Members of the 
public who wish to ensure that their technical comments are provided to 
the SAB expert panel before each meeting should also e-mail their 
comments separately to Thomas Armitage, the SAB Designated Federal 
Officer at armitage.thomas@epa.gov, following the procedures in the May 
24, 2010, Federal Register Notice announcing the SAB public meetings. 
The public comment period and SAB external peer review are independent 
processes that provide separate opportunities for all interested 
parties to comment on the draft report.
    The purpose of the listening session is to allow all interested 
parties to present scientific and technical comments on draft IRIS 
health assessments to EPA and other interested parties during the 
public comment period and before the external peer review meeting. EPA 
welcomes the scientific and technical comments that will be provided to 
the Agency by the listening session participants. All comments 
submitted according to the detailed instructions provided in the May 
21, 2010, Federal Register Notice under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION will 
be considered by the Agency as it revises the draft assessment in 
response to the independent external peer review and public comments. 
All presentations will become part of the official public record.

DATES: The listening session on the draft IRIS health assessment for 
dioxin will be held on July 9, 2010, beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 
4 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time. If you would like to make a presentation 
at the listening session, you should register by July 2, 2010, indicate 
that you wish to make oral comments at the session, and indicate the 
length of your presentation. When you register, please indicate if you 
will need audio-visual equipment (e.g., laptop computer and slide 
projector). In general, each presentation should be no more than 30 
minutes. If, however, there are more requests for presentations than 
the allotted time allows, then the time limit for each presentation 
will be adjusted. A copy of the agenda for the listening session will 
be available at the meeting. If no speakers have registered by July 2, 
2010, the listening session will be cancelled and EPA will notify those 
registered of the cancellation.
    The public comment period for review of this draft assessment was 
announced previously in the Federal Register (75 FR 28610) on May 21, 
1010. As stated in that Federal Register Notice, the public comment 
period began on May 21, 2010, and ends August 19, 2010. Any technical 
comments submitted during the public comment period should be in 
writing and must be received by EPA by August 19, 2010, according to 
the procedures outlined in the May 21, 2010, Federal Register Notice. 
Only those public comments submitted by July 7, 2010, or e-mailed 
separately to Thomas Armitage, the SAB Designated Federal Officer at 
armitage.thomas@epa.gov, following the procedures in the May 24, 2010, 
Federal Register Notice announcing the SAB public meetings, will be 
provided to the independent peer-review panel prior to the peer-review 
meeting. However, all comments received during the public comment 
period will be provided to the SAB peer review committee and will also 
inform the Agency's revision of the draft assessment.

ADDRESSES: The listening session on the draft dioxin assessment will be 
held at the EPA offices at Two Potomac Yard South Building, 4th Floor, 
S-4370-80, 2733 South Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22202. To 
attend the listening session, register by July 2, 2010. To present at 
the listening session, indicate in your registration that you want to 
make oral comments at the session and provide the length of your 
presentation. To register, send an e-mail to: 
IRISListeningSession@epa.gov (subject line: Dioxin Listening Session); 
call Christine Ross at 703-347-8592; or fax a registration request to 
703-347-8689 (please reference the ``Dioxin Listening Session'' and 
include your name, title, affiliation, full address and contact 
information). Please note that to gain entrance to this EPA building to 
attend the meeting, attendees must have photo identification with them 
and must register at the guard's desk in the lobby. The guard will 
retain your photo identification and will provide you with a visitor's 
badge. At the guard's desk, attendees should give the name Christine 
Ross and the telephone number 703-347-8592 to the guard on duty. The 
guard will contact Ms. Ross who will meet you in the reception area to 
escort you to the meeting room. When you leave the building, please 
return your visitor's badge to the guard and you will receive your 
photo identification.
    A teleconference line will also be available for registered 
attendees/speakers. The teleconference number is 866-299-3188, and the 
access code is 926-378-7897, followed by the pound sign (). 
The teleconference line will be activated at 8:45 a.m., and you will be 
asked to identify yourself and your affiliation at the beginning of the 
call.

[[Page 33616]]

    Information on Services for Individuals with Disabilities: EPA 
welcomes public attendance at the ``Dioxin Listening Session'' and will 
make every effort to accommodate persons with disabilities. For 
information on access or services for individuals with disabilities, 
please contact Christine Ross at 703-347-8592 or 
IRISListeningSession@epa.gov. To request accommodation of a disability, 
please contact Ms. Ross, preferably at least 10 days prior to the 
meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public 
listening sessions, please contact Christine Ross, IRIS Staff, National 
Center for Environmental Assessment, (8601P), U.S. EPA, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 703-347-
8592; facsimile: 703-347-8689; or e-mail: IRISListeningSession@epa.gov. 
For questions about the draft dioxin assessment, contact Glenn Rice, 
National Center for Environmental Assessment, A110, U.S. EPA, 26 West 
Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268; telephone: 513-569-
7813; facsimile: 513-487-2539 or e-mail: rice.glenn@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA's IRIS is a human health assessment 
program that evaluates quantitative and qualitative risk information on 
effects that may result from exposure to chemical substances found in 
the environment. Through the IRIS Program, EPA provides the highest 
quality science-based human health assessments to support the Agency's 
regulatory activities. The IRIS database contains information for more 
than 540 chemical substances that can be used to support the first two 
steps (hazard identification and dose-response evaluation) of the risk 
assessment process. When supported by available data, IRIS provides 
oral reference doses (RfDs) and inhalation reference concentrations 
(RfCs) for chronic noncancer health effects and cancer assessments. 
Combined with specific exposure information, government and private 
entities use IRIS to help characterize public health risks of chemical 
substances in a site-specific situation and thereby support risk 
management decisions designed to protect public health.

    Dated: June 8, 2010.
Rebecca Clark,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2010-14239 Filed 6-11-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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