National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Notice of Meeting; Request for Public Input

Pursuant to section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, notice is hereby given of a meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods (SACATM).

SACATM is a federally chartered external advisory group of scientists from the public and private sectors, including representatives of regulated industry and national animal protection organizations. SACATM advises the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM), the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM), and the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and NTP regarding statutorily mandated duties of ICCVAM and activities of NICEATM.

This meeting will be held as a virtual meeting and open to the public. Individuals who plan to view the virtual meeting and need special assistance, such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, should notify the Contact Person listed below. TTY users should contact the Federal TTY Relay Service at 800-877-8339. All requests should be made at least five business days in advance of the meeting.

The preliminary agenda includes several public comment periods, each allowing up to three commenters a maximum of five minutes per speaker. Registration for those wishing to provide oral public comments is required and is open through October 23, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET, at ntp.niehs.nih.gov/​go/​32822. Registration ( printed page 60141) is on a first-come, first-served basis. Only one representative of an organization will be allowed to present oral comments per comment period. If the maximum number of speakers per comment period is exceeded, individuals registering to submit an oral comment for the topic will be placed on a wait list and notified should an opening become available. NICEATM will contact commenters after they register to provide logistical information for their presentations. Submitters will be identified on the meeting web page by their name and affiliation and/or sponsoring organization, if applicable.

Written statements on topics relevant to ICCVAM's mission may be submitted to support an oral public comment or as standalone documents. These should be emailed to Catherine Sprankle at catherine.sprankle@nih.gov by October 23, 2026, 5:00 p.m. EDT. Materials submitted to accompany oral public statements or standalone written statements should include the submitter's name, affiliation (if any), mailing address, telephone, email, and sponsoring organization (if any) with the document. Guidelines for public statements are at ntp.niehs.nih.gov/​ntp/​about_​ntp/​guidelines_​public_​comments_​508.pdf.

Name of Committee: Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods (SACATM).

Date: November 4-5, 2026.

Open: November 4, 2026, 10:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Agenda: The preliminary agenda, registration, and other meeting materials will be available at ntp.niehs.nih.gov/​go/​32822.

Address: NIEHS/National Institutes of Health Building, 4401 East Campus, 79 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.

Meeting Format: Virtual Meeting.

Contact Person: Kelly Chandler, Ph.D., Designated Federal Officer, 6707 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 400, Bethesda, MD 20817, (240) 428-9300, kelly.chandler@nih.gov.

Open: November 5, 2026, 10:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Agenda: The preliminary agenda, registration, and other meeting materials will be available at ntp.niehs.nih.gov/​go/​32822.

Address: NIEHS/National Institutes of Health Building, 4401 East Campus, 79 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.

Meeting Format: Virtual Meeting.

Contact Person: Kelly Chandler, Ph.D., Designated Federal Officer, 6707 Democracy Boulevard, Suite 400, Bethesda, MD 20817, (240) 428-9300, kelly.chandler@nih.gov.

Any member of the public interested in presenting oral comments may register at ntp.niehs.nih.gov/​go/​32822. Each public comment period allows for five oral commenters. Only one representative of an organization may be allowed to present oral comments per comment period and if accepted by the committee, presentations are limited to five minutes. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. If the maximum number of commenters per comment period is exceeded, individuals registering to submit oral comment will be placed on a wait list and notified should an opening become available.

Registration for Oral Statements: Deadline is October 23, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET. ntp.niehs.nih.gov/​go/​32822.

Registration for Webcast Viewing: Deadline is November 5, 2026, 3:00 p.m. ET. ntp.niehs.nih.gov/​go/​32822.

Registration to view the webcast and present oral public statements is required. ntp.niehs.nih.gov/​go/​32822. A link to access the meeting webcast will be emailed to registrants with their registration confirmation.

In addition, any interested person may file written comments with the committee. Information on submitting written comment is available at ntp.niehs.nih.gov/​go/​32822.

Responses to this notice are voluntary. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in statements submitted in response to this notice or presented during the meeting. This request for input is for planning purposes only and is not a solicitation for applications or an obligation on the part of the U.S. Government to provide support for any ideas identified in response to the request. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for its use of that information.

Additional information about SACATM, including link to the charter, roster, and records of past meetings, can be found at ntp.niehs.nih.gov/​go/​advisory.

(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Nos. 93.115, Biometry and Risk Estimation—Health Risks from Environmental Exposures; 93.142, NIEHS Hazardous Waste Worker Health and Safety Training; 93.143, NIEHS Superfund Hazardous Substances—Basic Research and Education; 93.894, Resources and Manpower Development in the Environmental Health Sciences; 93.113, Biological Response to Environmental Health Hazards; 93.114, Applied Toxicological Research and Testing, National Institutes of Health, HHS)