6024 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 23 / Friday, February 4, 2005 / Notices 

Dated: January 25, 2005. 

Rachelle Ragland-Greene, 

NCI Project Clearance Liaison, National 

Institutes of Health.

[FR Doc. 05–2127 Filed 2–3–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4140–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

National Toxicology Program (NTP); 

Center for the Evaluation of Risks to 

Human Reproduction (CERHR); 

Announcement of Plans for Future 

Evaluation of Di(2-

ethylhexyl)phthalate; Request for 

Public Comments on this Chemical; 

and Solicitation for the Nomination of 

Scientists Qualified to Serve on an 

Expert Panel

AGENCY: National Institute for 

Environmental Health Sciences 

(NIEHS); National Institutes of Health 

(NIH), Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice of expert panel 

evaluation of the reproductive and 

developmental toxicities of di(2-

ethylhexyl)phthalate. 

SUMMARY: The CERHR plans to convene 

an expert panel to evaluate the scientific 

evidence regarding the potential 

reproductive and/or developmental 

toxicity associated with exposure to 

di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP). The 

expert panel will consist of 

approximately 8–12 scientists selected 

for their scientific expertise in various 

aspects of reproductive and 

developmental toxicology and other 

relevant areas of science. The CERHR 

invites the submission of public 

comments on DEHP and the nomination 

of scientists to serve on the expert panel 

for its evaluation (see SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION below). This meeting is 

tentatively scheduled for fall 2005, 

although the exact date and location are 

not yet established. As plans are 

finalized, they will be announced in the 

Federal Register and posted on the 

CERHR Web site (http://

cerhr.niehs.nih.gov). CERHR expert 

panel meetings are open to the public 

with time scheduled for oral public 

comment.

DATES: Information and comments 

received by March 21, 2005, will be 

made available to the CERHR staff and 

the expert panel for consideration in the 

evaluation and posted on the CERHR 

Web site. Nominations of scientists 

received by March 21, 2005, will be 

considered for this panel and for 

inclusion in the CERHR Expert Registry.

ADDRESSES: Information and comments 

should be sent to Dr. Michael D. Shelby, 

CERHR Director, NIEHS, P.O. Box 

12233, MD EC–32, Research Triangle 

Park, NC 27709 (mail), (919) 316–4511 

(fax), or shelby@niehs.nih.gov (e-mail). 

Courier address: CERHR, 79 T.W. 

Alexander Drive, Building 4401, Room 

103, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Michael D. Shelby, CERHR Director, 

(919) 541–3455, shelby@niehs.nih.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

DEHP is a high production chemical 

used as a plasticizer of polyvinyl 

chloride in the manufacturer of a wide 

variety of consumer products, such as 

building products, car products, 

clothing, food packaging, children’s 

products (but not in toys intended for 

mouthing) and in polyvinyl chloride 

medical devices. In 1999–2000, a NTP–

CERHR expert panel evaluated DEHP 

and six other phthalates for 

reproductive and developmental 

toxicities. Since release of the NTPCERHR expert panel report on DEHP in 

2000, approximately 70 papers relevant 

to human exposure and reproductive 

and/or developmental toxicity of DEHP 

have been published. Because this is a 

chemical with wide human exposure 

and public and government interest, 

CERHR plans to convene an expert 

panel to conduct an updated evaluation 

of the potential reproductive and 

developmental toxicities of DEHP. 

Request for Comments 

The CERHR invites the public and 

other interested parties to submit 

information and comments on DEHP 

including toxicology information from 

completed and ongoing studies, 

information on planned studies, and 

information about current production 

levels, human exposure, use patterns, 

and environmental occurrence. 

Request for the Nomination of Scientist 

for the Expert Panel 

The CERHR invites nominations of 

qualified scientists to serve on the 

expert panel. Panelists are primarily 

drawn from the CERHR Expert Registry 

and/or the nomination of other 

scientists who meet the criteria for 

listing in that registry which include: 

formal academic training and 

experience in a relevant scientific field, 

publications in peer-reviewed journals, 

membership in relevant professional 

societies, and certification by an 

appropriate scientific board or other 

entities. Expert panel members are 

required to sign conflict of interest 

forms in accordance with Federal 

Advisory Committee Act Guidelines (5 

U.S.C. Appendix 2). 

All panel members serve as 

individual experts and not as 

representatives of their employers or 

other organizations. Scientists on the 

expert panel will be selected to 

represent a wide range of expertise 

including, but not limited to, 

developmental toxicology, reproductive 

toxicology, epidemiology, general 

toxicology, pharmacokinetics, exposure 

assessment, and biostatistics. 

Nominations should include contact 

information and a current curriculum 

vitae (if possible) and be forwarded to 

the CERHR at the address given above. 

Background Information on the CERHR 

The NTP established the CERHR in 

June 1998 (Federal Register, December 

14, 1998: Volume 63, Number 239, page 

68782). The CERHR is a publicly 

accessible resource for information 

about adverse reproductive and 

developmental health effects associated 

with environmental exposures. Expert 

panels conduct scientific evaluations of 

agents selected by the CERHR in public 

forums. 

Information about CERHR and its 

process for nominating agents for review 

or scientists for its expert registry can be 

obtained from its Web site (http://

cerhr.niehs.nih.gov) or by contacting Dr. 

Shelby (contact information provided 

above). The CERHR selects chemicals 

for evaluation based upon several 

factors, including production volume, 

extent of human exposure, public 

concern, and extent of the database on 

reproductive or developmental toxicity 

studies. 

CERHR follows a formal, multi-step 

process for review and evaluation of 

selected chemicals. The formal 

evaluation process was published in the 

Federal Register (July 16, 2001: Volume 

66, Number 136, pages 37047–37048) 

and is available on the CERHR Web site 

under ‘‘About CERHR’’ or in printed 

copy from the CERHR.

Dated: January 27, 2005. 

Samuel H. Wilson, 

Deputy Director, National Institute of 

Environmental Health Sciences.

[FR Doc. 05–2125 Filed 2–3–05; 8:45 am] 

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