[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 93 (Thursday, May 14, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26838-26839]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-12840]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
[Public Notice 2813]


Government Activities on International Harmonization of Chemical 
Classification and Labeling Systems; Public Meeting

agency: Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific 
Affairs (OES), Department of State.

action: Notice of a public meeting regarding Government Activities on 
International Harmonization of Chemical Classification and Labeling 
Systems.

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summary: This public meeting will provide an update on current 
activities related to international harmonization since the previous 
public meeting, conducted January 23, 1998. (See Department of State 
Public Notice 2708, on page 1987 of the Federal Register of January 13, 
1998.) The meeting will also offer interested organizations and 
individuals the opportunity to provide

[[Page 26839]]

information and views for consideration in the development of United 
States Government policy positions. For more complete information on 
the harmonization process, please refer to State Department Public 
Notice 2526, pages 15951-15957 of the Federal Register of April 3, 
1997.
    The meeting will take place from 10 a.m. until noon on June 16 in 
Room N5437 CD, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC. Attendees should use the entrance at C and Third 
Streets NW. To facilitate entry, please have a picture ID available 
and/or a U.S. Government building pass if applicable.

for further information contact: For further information or to submit 
written comments or information, please contact Mary Frances Lowe, U.S. 
Department of State, OES/ENV, Room 4325, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, 
DC 20520. Phone (202) 736-4660, fax (202) 647-5947. A public docket is 
also available for review (OSHA docket H-022H.)

supplementary information: The Department of State is announcing a 
public meeting of the interagency committee concerned with the 
international harmonization of chemical hazard classification and 
labeling systems (an effort often referred to as the ``globally 
harmonized system'' or GHS). The purpose of the meeting is to provide 
interested groups and individuals with an update on activities since 
the January 23, 1998, public meeting, a preview of key upcoming 
international meetings, and an opportunity to submit additional 
information and comments for consideration in developing U.S. 
Government positions. Representatives of the following agencies 
participate in the interagency group: the Department of State, the 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, the 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Consumer Product 
Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of 
Commerce, the Department of Agriculture, the Office of the U.S. Trade 
Representative, and the National Institute of Environmental Health 
Sciences.
    The Agenda of the public meeting will include:

I. Introduction
2. Reports on recent international meetings
    --Meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and 
Development (OECD) Aquatic Toxicity Working Group, April 20-21, in 
London, UK.
    --Meeting of the OECD Advisory Group on Harmonization of 
Classification and Labelling, April 22-24, in London, UK. This meeting 
focused on classification criteria proposals for health and 
environmental endpoints including skin and eye irritation/corrosion, 
target organ toxicity, reproductive toxicity, aquatic toxicity, acute 
toxicity, and the review of an integrated document to be comprised of 
introductory sections on cross-cutting issues and individual chapters 
on each covered endpoint. The goal is to have the integrated proposal 
and other issues resolved as much as possible before a high level OECD 
meeting, now scheduled for September 3-4, 1998, in Paris, France.
    --First meeting of the Inter-Organization Program for the Sound 
Management of Chemicals (IOMC) Working Group concerning the 
Implementation of the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and 
Labelling, May 21-22, in London, UK. This working group is charged with 
identifying the functions of the institutional ``body'' or organization 
required to oversee the maintenance and updating of the GHS on an 
ongoing basis. A background paper prepared by the UK has been 
circulated and placed in the docket.
3. Preparation for upcoming meetings
    --First meeting of the IOMC/International Labour Organisation 
Working Group for the Harmonization of Chemical Hazard Communication, 
June 22, in London, UK. This meeting will focus on the elaboration of 
terms of reference work plan and time table for the hazard 
communication elements of the GHS.
    --IOMC Coordinating Group for the Harmonization of Chemical 
Classification Systems, June 23-24, London, UK. This group provides 
overall management direction to the development of the GHS. Among the 
agenda items is further consideration of a paper clarifying the scope 
and application of the GHS discussed at the last two Coordinating Group 
meetings, in June and November, 1997. The original paper, U.S. 
comments, and a report of the November 1997 meeting are in the public 
docket. A revised version is expected later this month and will be 
placed in the docket, along with other papers received for the June 23-
24 meeting.
    --OECD Working Group on Mixtures, June 25-27, in London, UK. This 
group is charged with developing harmonized approaches for the 
classification of mixtures. This will be its second meeting, and 
participants will be discussing areas for harmonization based on a 
detailed review document outlining the components of major existing 
hazard classification systems for mixtures.
    --Meeting of the UN Subcommittee of Experts on the Transport of 
Dangerous Goods, June 29-July 9, in Geneva, Switzerland. The 
Subcommittee has hosted the working group developing classification 
criteria proposals for physical hazards and largely completed this work 
in December 1997. It is also involved in consideration of OECD 
proposals on acute toxicity classifications, the institutional 
framework for the ongoing maintenance of the GHS, and hazard 
communication issues as they relate to goods in transport.
4. Public Comments
5. Concluding Remarks

    Interested parties are invited to submit their comments as soon as 
possible for consideration in the development of U.S. positions for the 
international meetings listed above, and to present their views orally 
and/or in writing at the public meeting. Participants in the meeting 
may also address other topics relating to harmonization of chemical 
classification and labeling systems and are particularly invited to 
identify issues of concern to specific sectors that may be affected by 
the GHS.
    All written comments will be placed in the public docket (OSHA 
docket H-022H). The docket is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, and is located at the Department of Labor, Room 2625, 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC (Telephone: 202-219-7894; Fax: 
202-219-5046). The public may also consult the docket to review 
previous Federal Register notices, comments received, Questions and 
Answers about the GHS, a response to comments on the April 3 Federal 
Register notice, and other relevant documents.

    Dated: May 11, 1998.
Michael Metelits,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy, Bureau of Oceans and 
International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-12840 Filed 5-13-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-09-M