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[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 198 (Thursday, October 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63615-63616]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-26532]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0842; FRL-8891-9]

Environmental Science Center Microbiology Laboratory; Notice of 
Public Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. EPA invites interested stakeholders to participate in 
a laboratory-based technical workshop that will focus on the conduct of 
the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) Use-dilution 
method (UDM) and the status and implementation of a new test method, 
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 
Quantitative Method for Evaluating Bactericidal Activity of 
Microbicides Used on Hard, Non-Porous Surfaces. The workshop is being 
held to discuss current and proposed revisions mainly associated with 
the Staphyloccocus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa methodologies. The 
goals of the workshop are to provide a comprehensive review and 
discussion period on the status of the UDM and OEDC methods integrated 
with hands-on laboratory demonstrations. An overview of various data 
sets and collaborative studies will be used to supplement the 
discussions which will be held at the EPA Environmental Science Center 
Microbiology Laboratory.

DATES: The meeting will be held on November 15 and 16, 2011 from 8:30 
a.m. to 4 p.m. Requests to participate in the meeting must be received 
on or before November 4, 2011. To request accommodation of a 
disability, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATON CONTACT, preferably at least 10 days prior to the meeting, 
to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Environmental Protection 
Agency's Environmental Science Center, 701 Mapes Road, Ft. Meade, 
Maryland 20755-5350. Requests to participate in the meeting, identified 
by docket identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0842, may be 
submitted to the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michele Cottrill, Office of Pesticide 
Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (410) 305-2955; fax 
number: (410) 305-3094; e-mail address: cottrill.michele@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

    You may be potentially affected by this action if you represent 
antimicrobials product registrants, healthcare facilities who use 
antimicrobial products, Professional associations for healthcare 
officials. Potentially affected entities may include, but are not 
limited to those persons who are or may be required to conduct testing 
of chemical substances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 
(FFDCA), or the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act 
(FIFRA).
    This listing is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides 
a guide for readers regarding entities likely to be affected by this 
action. Other types of entities not listed in this unit could also be 
affected. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) 
codes have been provided to assist you and others in determining 
whether this action might apply to certain entities. If you have any 
questions regarding the applicability of this action to a particular 
entity, consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.

B. How can I get copies of this document and other related information?

    EPA has established a docket for this action under docket ID number 
EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0842. Publicly available docket materials are available 
either in the electronic docket at http://www.regulations.gov, or, if 
only available in hard copy, at the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) 
Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 
2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The hours of operation of this 
Docket Facility are from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The Docket Facility telephone number is (703) 
305-5805.

II. Background

    The AOAC Use-dilution method (UDM), is currently accepted by EPA 
for regulatory purposes to measure the efficacy of liquid hospital 
disinfectants against Staphyloccocus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 
Salmonella enterica on hard non-porous surfaces. In addition to using 
the method for registration purposes, the method is currently in use as 
part of the post market Antimicrobials Testing Program. The workshop is 
being held to discuss current and proposed revisions mainly associated 
with the S. aureus and P. aeruginosa methodologies, which are designed 
to further optimize and standardize the UDM, and to discuss the data 
associated with these revisions. At the workshop, the UDM method will 
be discussed along with the status and implementation of a new test 
method, the OECD Quantitative Method for Evaluating Bactericidal 
Activity of Microbicides Used on Hard, Non-Porous

[[Page 63616]]

Surfaces (OECD method), will be discussed. The OECD Method recently 
underwent a multi-laboratory ring trial and the EPA is interested in 
adopting the OECD method for regulatory purposes. The method is based 
on test guidelines from the (OECD), an intergovernmental organization 
consisting of 30 industrialized countries in Europe, North America, 
Asia and the Pacific. Through its Environment Program, OECD works to 
help countries manage the risks of chemicals as efficiently and 
effectively as possible.
    This is a technical meeting for individuals with laboratory 
expertise in conducting the UDM and OECD procedures or who plan to 
conduct these methods in the future. Participants must be knowledgeable 
of the safety practices and procedures for working in a Biosafety Level 
II laboratory environment in order to participate in the laboratory 
demonstrations. The detailed agenda for the workshop is available in 
the docket. The Agency is encouraging participation from a cross-
section of affected parties including industry, state and federal 
partners, and testing laboratories. Due to space constraints in the 
laboratory, attendance will be limited to 30 total participants, with a 
maximum of 20 participating in the laboratory exercises.

III. How can I request to participate in this meeting?

    You may submit a request to participate in this meeting to the 
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Do not submit any 
information in your request that is considered CBI. Requests to 
participate in the meeting, identified by docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2011-0842, must be received on or before November 4, 2011.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Association of Official Analytical 
Chemists (AOAC), Public health claims, Use-dilution method.

    Dated: October 6, 2011.
Joan Harrigan-Farrelly,
Director, Antimicrobials Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-26532 Filed 10-12-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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