81 FR 7354 - Workshop on Shift Work at Night, Artificial Light at Night, and Circadian Disruption; Notice of Public Meeting; Registration Information

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 28 (February 11, 2016)

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) announces the public workshop ``Shift Work at Night, Artificial Light at Night, and Circadian Disruption.'' The purpose of the workshop is to obtain external scientific input on topics important for informing the literature-based health hazard assessments conducted by the NTP's Office of the Report on Carcinogens (ORoC) and Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT). This workshop is open to the public to attend in-person or by webcast. Information about the meeting and registration are available at (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/ workshop_ALAN).

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 28 (Thursday, February 11, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7354-7355]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-02703]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Workshop on Shift Work at Night, Artificial Light at Night, and 
Circadian Disruption; Notice of Public Meeting; Registration 
Information

SUMMARY: The National Toxicology Program (NTP) announces the public 
workshop ``Shift Work at Night, Artificial Light at Night, and 
Circadian Disruption.'' The purpose of the workshop is to obtain 
external scientific input on topics important for informing the 
literature-based health hazard assessments conducted by the NTP's 
Office of the Report on Carcinogens (ORoC) and Office of Health 
Assessment and Translation (OHAT). This workshop is open to the public 
to attend in-person or by webcast. Information about the meeting and 
registration are available at (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/workshop_ALAN).

DATES: Meeting: March 10, 2016, from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and March 
11, 2016, from 8:00 a.m. to approximately 6:00 p.m. Eastern Standard 
Time (EST).
    Meeting Registration: February 1, 2016 through March 4, 2016. 
Registration to attend the workshop in-person is available only for 
March 11 and not March 10 and will close prior to March 4 if space 
capacity at NIEHS is reached. The webcast is available on both March 10 
and 11. Registration to view the workshop via webcast is required and 
will remain open through March 11, 2016.
    Workshop Materials: Workshop materials, including preliminary 
agenda, registration for attendance in-person and by webcast, and other 
materials, are available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/workshop_ALAN; 
other materials will be posted by March 4, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: Rodbell Auditorium, Rall Building, 
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), 111 T.W. 
Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
    Meeting Web page: The preliminary agenda and registration are 
available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/workshop_ALAN.
    Webcast: The workshop will be webcast. The URL will be provided by 
email in the registration confirmation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Windy Boyd, OHAT-ORoC, DNTP, 
NIEHS, P.O. Box 12233, MD K2-04, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. 
Telephone: (919) 541-9810, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: Many people experience 
interruptions in light-dark cycles due to their lifestyle choices 
(e.g., use of electronic devices at night), location of their 
residences (e.g., urban light pollution), or working at night (e.g., 
shift work). Exposures to ALAN or changes in the timing of exposures to 
natural light (such as with `jet lag') may disrupt biological processes 
controlled by endogenous circadian rhythms, potentially resulting in 
adverse health outcomes. NTP is interested in understanding the health 
effects of circadian disruption related to ALAN and shift work. ORoC 
and OHAT plan to conduct health hazard assessments focusing on cancer 
(ORoC) and non-cancer health outcomes (OHAT).
    NTP is convening a workshop on March 10-11, 2016, to obtain 
external scientific input on topics important for informing the 
literature-based health hazard assessments, including strategies for 
integrating data across evidence streams and exposure scenarios, and on 
data gaps and research needs.
    The workshop includes the following sessions:
 Circadian disruption
 ALAN
 shift work and trans-meridian travel (jet lag)
 additional overlapping exposures in ALAN/shift work studies
 strategies to synthesize across different types of exposure 
scenarios studies
 data gaps and research needs

Each session will start with a brief presentation followed by a short 
question-and-answer period and/or moderator-led discussion.
    Meeting and Registration: This workshop is open to the public, free 
of charge, with attendance limited only by the space available. 
Individuals who plan to attend in-person for March 11, 2016, should 
register at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/workshop_ALAN by March 4, 2016, 
to facilitate meeting planning. Registration for in-person attendance 
will close before March 4 if space capacity at NIEHS is reached. 
Registration is required to view the webcast; the URL for the webcast 
will be provided in the email confirming registration. A preliminary 
agenda and additional information are available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/workshop_ALAN. Interested individuals are 
encouraged to access the Web site to stay abreast of the most current 
information regarding the workshop.
    Visitor and security information for those attending in-person is 
available at https://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/

[[Page 7355]]

visiting/. Individuals with disabilities who need accommodation to 
participate in this event should contact Dr. Boyd at telephone: (919) 
541-9810 or email: [email protected]. TTY users should contact the 
Federal TTY Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Requests should be made at 
least five business days in advance of the event.
    Background Information on ORoC: On behalf of NTP, ORoC conducts 
literature-based evaluations to identify agents, substances, mixtures, 
or exposures (collectively called ``substances'') in our environment 
that pose a cancer hazard for people in the United States. These cancer 
hazards are listed in the Report on Carcinogens (RoC), a 
congressionally mandated, science-based, public health report that is 
prepared by NTP for the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 
Published biennially, each edition of the RoC is cumulative and 
consists of substances newly reviewed in addition to those listed in 
previous editions. Newly reviewed substances with their recommended 
listing are reviewed and approved by the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services. The 13th RoC, the latest edition, was published on October 2, 
2014 (available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/roc13). The 14th RoC is 
under development.
    Background Information on OHAT: On behalf of NTP, OHAT conducts 
literature-based evaluations to assess the evidence that environmental 
chemicals, physical substances, or mixtures (collectively referred to 
as ``substances'') cause adverse non-cancer health outcomes. As part of 
these evaluations, NTP may also provide opinions on whether these 
substances might be of concern for causing adverse effects on human 
health given what is known about toxicity and current human exposure 
levels.

    Dated: February 5, 2016.
John R. Bucher,
Associate Director, National Toxicology Program.
[FR Doc. 2016-02703 Filed 2-10-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P