[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 217 (Friday, November 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88772-88773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-26010]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

[Docket No. ATSDR-2024-0004]


Availability of Five Draft Toxicological Profiles

AGENCY: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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

SUMMARY: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), 
within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announces the 
opening of a docket to obtain comments on drafts of five updated 
toxicological profiles: benzene, carbon disulfide, cyanide, thallium, 
and chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins. This action is necessary as this is 
the opportunity for members of the public and organizations to submit 
comments on drafts of the profiles. The intended effect of this action 
is to ensure that the public can note any pertinent additional 
information or reports on studies about the health effects caused by 
exposure to the substances covered in these five profiles for review.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before February 6, 2025.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. ATSDR-
2024-0004 by either of the methods listed below. Do not submit comments 
by email. ATSDR does not accept comments by email.
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    <bullet> Mail: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 
Office of Innovation and Analytics, 4770 Buford Highway, Mail Stop 
S106-5, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717. Attn: Docket No. ATSDR-2024-0004.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Farhana Rahman, Agency for Toxic 
Substances and Disease Registry, Office of Innovation and Analytics, 
4770 Buford Highway, Mail Stop S106-5, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717; Email: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5c1d080f180e0833240c2e333a3530391a0e122f1c3f383f723b332a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5c1d080f180e0833240c2e333a3530391a0e122f1c3f383f723b332a">[email protected]</span></a>; Phone: 1-800-232-4636.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ATSDR has prepared drafts of five updated 
toxicological profiles based on current understanding of the health 
effects and availability of new studies and other information since 
their initial release. All toxicological profiles issued as ``Drafts 
for Public Comment'' represent the result of ATSDR's evidence-based 
evaluations of the available literature to provide important 
toxicological information on priority hazardous substances to the 
public and health professionals. ATSDR considers key studies for these 
substances during the profile development process, using a systematic 
review approach. To that end, ATSDR is seeking public comments and 
additional information or reports on studies about the health effects 
of these substances for review and potential inclusion in the profiles. 
ATSDR will evaluate the quality and relevance of such data or studies 
for possible inclusion in the final profiles which will be available in 
the docket (ATSDR-2024-0004) and online at https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles.

Legislative Background

    The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) (42 
U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) amended the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA or Superfund) (42 
U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) by establishing certain requirements for ATSDR and 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the hazardous 
substances most commonly found at facilities on the CERCLA National 
Priorities List. Among these statutory requirements is a mandate for 
the Administrator of ATSDR to prepare toxicological profiles for each 
substance included on the priority list of hazardous substances (also 
called the Substance Priority List (SPL)). This list identifies 275 
hazardous substances that ATSDR has determined pose the most 
significant potential threat to human health. The SPL is available 
online at https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/SPL. ATSDR is also mandated to 
revise and publish updated toxicological profiles, as necessary, to 
reflect updated health effects and other information.
    In addition, CERCLA provides ATSDR with the authority to prepare 
toxicological profiles for substances not found on the SPL. CERCLA 
authorizes ATSDR to establish and maintain an inventory of literature, 
research, and studies on the health effects of toxic substances (CERCLA 
section

[[Page 88773]]

104(i)(1)(B); 42 U.S.C. 9604(i)(1)(B)); to respond to requests for 
health consultations (CERCLA section 104(i)(4); 42 U.S.C. 9604(i)(4)); 
and to support the site-specific response actions conducted by the 
agency (CERCLA section 104(i)(6); 42 U.S.C. 9604(i)(6)).

Availability

    The draft toxicological profiles are available online at https://www.regulations.gov, Docket No. ATSDR-2024-0004 and at https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles.

Public Participation

    Interested persons or organizations are invited to participate by 
submitting written views, recommendations, and data. Please note that 
comments received, including attachments and other supporting 
materials, are part of the public record and are subject to public 
disclosure. Comments will be posted on https://www.regulations.gov. 
Therefore, do not include any information in your comment or supporting 
materials that you consider confidential or inappropriate for public 
disclosure. If you include your name, contact information, or other 
information that identifies you in the body of your comments, that 
information will be on public display. ATSDR will review all 
submissions and may choose to redact, or withhold, submissions 
containing private or proprietary information such as Social Security 
numbers, medical information, inappropriate language, or duplicate/near 
duplicate examples of a mass-mail campaign. If you submit comments with 
reference to studies that are not publicly available such as 
unpublished research, those studies must be attached with your comment 
for review. Otherwise ATSDR may be unable to respond to portions of 
your comment referencing any material that is not publicly available. 
Do not submit comments by email. ATSDR does not accept comments by 
email.

Donata Green,
Associate Director, Office of Policy, Planning and Partnerships, Agency 
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
[FR Doc. 2024-26010 Filed 11-7-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-70-P


</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>