[Federal Register: October 17, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 202)]
[Notices]
[Page 54195-54196]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OPPTS-42188; FRL-5571-2]
Endocrine Disruptors; Notice of Public Meeting
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: EPA is holding a public meeting with interested
stakeholder
groups to assist the Agency in forming a committee under the
provisions
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) to provide advice on
the
screening and testing of chemicals and pesticides for their
potential
to disrupt endocrine function in humans and wildlife. This is the
second of such meetings. The first meeting was held May 15-16,
1996, in
Washington DC. Persons who attended the first meeting or placed
their
names on a list to be kept informed of further developments will
be
notified of this meeting by letter, and will receive additional
information regarding the formation of the committee and nominees
for
committee membership.
DATES: The public meeting will be held on October 31 and
November 1,
1996, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in Washington, DC, at the
Sheraton
City Centre Hotel, 1143 New Hampshire Ave NW (3 blocks NE of the
Foggy
Bottom Metro station at New Hampshire Ave and M St. NW).
Telephone:
202-775-0800.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Persons who want to attend
this
meeting should register with Donald Walker no later than October
24,
1996. Reservations will be accepted on a first-come basis.
Persons with
reservations should arrive at least 10 minutes prior to the
meeting to
ensure that their seat is not given to someone on the waiting
list.
Persons who do not have a reservation will be admitted to the
meeting
only if space is available.
To register or to obtain additional information (such as the
summary of the May 15 and 16 meeting) please contact: Donald
Walker,
TASCON Corp; telephone: (301) 907-3844 x 247; fax: (301)
907-9655; e-
mail: dwalker@tascon.com. For technical information, contact
Anthony
Maciorowski (202) 260-3048, e-mail:
maciorowski.anthony@epamail.epa.gov
or Gary Timm (202) 260-1859, e-mail: timm.gary@epamail.epa.gov at
EPA.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A growing body of scientific research
indicates that many man-made chemicals may interfere with the
normal
functioning of human and wildlife endocrine systems. These
endocrine
disruptors may cause a variety of problems with development,
behavior,
and reproduction. Although many chemicals have undergone
extensive
toxicological testing, it is unclear whether this testing has
been
adequate to detect the potential for these chemicals to disrupt
endocrine functioning or what additional testing is needed for
EPA to
assess and characterize risk. Notwithstanding recognition that
the
scientific knowledge related to endocrine disruptors is still
evolving,
there is widespread agreement that the development of a screening
and
testing program is appropriate. Recent legislation
(reauthorization of
the Safe Drinking Water Act and passage of the Food Quality
Protection
Act) has mandated that such a screening and testing program be
developed by EPA. Further, underlying authority for EPA to
consider
implementation of such a program is found in the existing Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Toxic
Substances Control Act (TSCA).
EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances
is
taking the lead for EPA on endocrine disruption screening and
testing
issues. EPA began its efforts to develop a screening and testing
strategy by obtaining the views of stakeholders at a meeting on
May 15-
16, 1996 (61 FR 20814, May 8, 1996) (FRL-5369-8). At the May
stakeholder's meeting participants generally agreed that
government,
industry, academia and public interest groups should work
collaboratively to develop a screening and testing strategy. EPA
has
concluded that a FACA chartered committee would be the best means
of
providing assistance in developing such a strategy and proposes
to
establish the Endocrine Disrupter Screening and Testing Advisory
Committee (EDSTAC). The purpose of EDSTAC will be to provide
advice and
counsel to the Agency on a strategy to screen and test endocrine
disrupting chemicals in humans, fish, and wildlife. This strategy
will
be aimed at developing information and methods for reducing risk
to
human health and the environment. EPA expects the EDSTAC to take
a
consensus approach to reaching their findings and
recommendations.
Subject to consideration by the members of the proposed
EDSTAC, the
goals of an EPA-led dialogue on screening and testing for
endocrine
disruption may be to:
1. Develop a flexible process to select and prioritize
chemicals
for screening, recognizing the need to obtain and use appropriate
exposure information in setting appropriate priorities.
2. Develop a process for identifying new and existing
screening
tests and mechanisms for their validation.
3. Agree on a set of available, validated screening tests for
early
application.
4. Develop a process and criteria for deciding when
additional
tests, beyond screening tests, are needed and how any of these
additional tests will be validated.
These goals are likely to be pursued sequentially. These
goals will
also be pursued in a manner that recognizes that the data that
will be
available as a result of the endocrine disrupter screening and
testing
program will be used to reduce risk to human health. It is
anticipated
that this overarching risk management goal will eventually
require the
development of approaches to: Synthesize exposure and hazard
information; and incorporate synthesized exposure and hazard
information into risk reduction and risk management decisions.
For the EDSTAC to be successful, the Committee will have to
clearly
communicate to the public areas of agreement and recommendations.
In
addition, as components of a screening and testing program are
agreed
upon and implemented, processes need to be developed to clearly
communicate to
[[Page 54196]]
the public the information resulting from priority setting,
screening,
testing, and risk management decision-making.
EPA's intention is for the EDSTAC to be a consensus-building
process. EDSTAC, therefore, needs to be structured in a manner
conducive to collaboration and consensus building. In particular,
EDSTAC's structure needs to balance the demand for inclusion of
key
stakeholders and relevant expertise with the need for a
manageable
number of participants. EPA believes that it is important to have
representatives of the chemicals industry, Federal and state
government; representatives from environmental, public health,
and
labor organizations; and scientific expertise from academia on
the
Committee. EDSTAC members will discuss both policy and scientific
issues in an attempt to develop consensus recommendations on how
to
create and implement an endocrine disrupter screening and testing
program. The group is expected to meet approximately once every
two
months over a period of one year. Because it will not be possible
to
include all of those who have an interest in this issue,
opportunities
will be provided during the course of EDSTAC's deliberations to
ensure
that all voices will be heard. One of the primary agenda items
for the
October 31-November 1, 1996, meeting is to address questions of
formation and membership of EDSTAC and procedures for ensuring
that all
stakeholders have an opportunity to be heard on the issues.
Dated: October 11, 1996.
Lynn R. Goldman,
Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic
Substances.
[FR Doc. 96-26811 Filed 10-16-96; 8:45 am]
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