81 FR 48791 - External Peer Review Meeting for Draft Guidelines for Human Exposure Assessment

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 143 (July 26, 2016)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is announcing that Versar, a contractor to the EPA, will convene an independent panel of experts to review the draft document, Guidelines for Human Exposure Assessment (draft guidelines). EPA previously announced release of the draft guidance for comment. The public comment period ended on March 22, 2016. The public may register to attend this peer review meeting and time will be set aside at the meeting for brief oral comments from the public regarding the draft document. The draft document is available: Via the internet at http://www.regulations.gov or www.epa.gov/osa/ guidelines-human-exposure-assessment; or from Dr. Michael Broder via the contact information below.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 48791]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17708]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-ORD-2015-0684; FRL-9949-60-ORD]


External Peer Review Meeting for Draft Guidelines for Human 
Exposure Assessment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is 
announcing that Versar, a contractor to the EPA, will convene an 
independent panel of experts to review the draft document, Guidelines 
for Human Exposure Assessment (draft guidelines). EPA previously 
announced release of the draft guidance for comment. The public comment 
period ended on March 22, 2016.
    The public may register to attend this peer review meeting and time 
will be set aside at the meeting for brief oral comments from the 
public regarding the draft document. The draft document is available: 
Via the internet at http://www.regulations.gov or www.epa.gov/osa/guidelines-human-exposure-assessment; or from Dr. Michael Broder via 
the contact information below.

DATES: The peer review meeting on the draft document, Guidelines for 
Human Exposure Assessment will be held on August 15-16, 2016. The 
meeting will run from approximately 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight 
Time on August 15 and from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on 
August 16, 2016.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the following address: Crystal 
City Marriott at Reagan National Airport, located at 1999 Jefferson 
Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202. Versar, Inc. invites the public to 
register to attend this meeting, either in-person or via 
teleconference. The phone number for the teleconference line will be 
provided to register prior to the meeting.
     Internet: The draft document can be downloaded from http://www.regulations.gov Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2015-0684.
     Instructions: To attend the peer review meeting, either 
in-person or via teleconference, you must register no later than August 
12, 2016. You may do this by calling Versar at (703) 642-6815; sending 
a facsimile to (703) 642-6809 ATTN: Exposure Guidelines Peer Review 
Registration (include your name, title, affiliation, full address, 
email, and phone number); or sending an email to Mr. David Bottimore of 
Versar, Inc. at [email protected] (Subject line: Exposure 
Guidelines Peer Review Registration and include your name, title, 
affiliation, full address, email, and phone number). Please indicate 
which day(s) you plan to attend the meeting and whether you plan to 
attend via teleconference or in-person. Space is limited, and 
registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. 
There will be a limited amount of time for comments from the public at 
the peer review meeting. Please inform Versar if you wish to make oral 
comments during the meeting.
     Information on Services for Individuals with Disabilities: 
The Agency welcomes public attendance at the peer review meeting on the 
draft document, Guidelines for Human Exposure Assessment, and will make 
every effort to accommodate persons with disabilities. For information 
on access or services for individuals with disabilities, contact David 
Bottimore of Versar at (703) 642-6815.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Dr. Michael Broder, Office of the 
Science Advisor, Mail Code 8105R, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number 
(202) 564-3393; fax number (202) 564-2070; or email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The current guidance document for human 
exposure assessment, Guidelines for Exposure Assessment, was published 
in 1992, reflecting the state-of-the-science in the 1970s and 1980s. 
Since its publication, the field of exposure science has undergone 
significant transformation in methods and approaches, which EPA has 
incorporated into its policies and practices to better align with the 
current state-of-the-science. The 1992 guidelines are being updated to 
reflect the advancement in exposure science and assessment and Agency 
policies.
    The draft guidelines benefit from over two decades of experience 
with EPA assessments conducted by Agency programs under their 
respective authorities and constraints, and from input from external 
panels, including the National Academy of Sciences and EPA's Science 
Advisory Board. This draft document builds on topics covered in the 
1992 exposure guidelines including planning and scoping for an 
assessment, data acquisition and use, modeling, and considerations of 
uncertainty in exposure assessment. It also includes new material on 
planning and conducting an observational human exposure measurement 
study and considerations of lifestages and sensitive populations in 
exposure assessments. These draft guidelines present the most current 
science used in EPA exposure assessments and incorporates information 
about the Agency's current policies.

    Dated: July 19, 2016.
Thomas Burke,
EPA Science Advisor.
[FR Doc. 2016-17708 Filed 7-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P