
[Federal Register: September 23, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 183)]
[Notices]               
[Page 48538-48539]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23se09-51]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8957-5; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2009-0229]

 
Draft Toxicological Review of Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether: In 
Support of the Summary Information in the Integrated Risk Information 
System (IRIS)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of listening session.

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SUMMARY: EPA is announcing a listening session to be held on October 7, 
2009, during the public comment period for the external review draft 
document entitled, ``Toxicological Review of Ethyl Tertiary Butyl 
Ether: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk 
Information System (IRIS)'' (EPA/635/R-08/019A). This listening session 
is a step in EPA's revised IRIS process, announced on May 21, 2009, to 
develop human health assessments for inclusion in the IRIS database. 
The purpose of the listening session is to allow all interested parties 
to present scientific and technical comments on draft IRIS health 
assessments to EPA and other interested parties during the public 
comment period and before the external peer review meeting. EPA 
welcomes the scientific and technical comments that will be provided to 
the Agency by the listening session participants. The comments will be 
considered by the Agency as it revises the draft assessment in response 
to the independent external peer review and public comments. All 
presentations will become part of the official public record.
    The EPA's draft assessment and peer review charge are available via 
the Internet on the National Center for Environmental Assessment's 
(NCEA) home page under the Recent Additions and Publications menus at 
http://www.epa.gov/ncea.

DATES: The listening session on the draft IRIS health assessment for 
Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether will be held on October 7, 2009, beginning 
at 9 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time. If you want to 
make a presentation at the listening session, you should register by 
September 30, 2009, indicate that you wish to make oral comments at the 
session, and indicate the length of your presentation. When you 
register, please indicate if you will need audio-visual aid (e.g., lap 
top and slide projector). In general, each presentation should be no 
more than 30 minutes. If, however, there are more requests for 
presentations than the allotted time allows, then the time limit for 
each presentation will be adjusted. A copy of the agenda for the 
listening session will be available at the meeting. If no speakers have 
registered by September 30, 2009, the listening session will be 
cancelled and EPA will notify those registered of the cancellation.
    The public comment period for review of this draft assessment was 
announced previously in the Federal Register (FR) (74 FR 42069) on 
August 20, 2009. As stated in that FR notice, the public comment period 
began on August 20, 2009, and ends October 19, 2009. Any technical 
comments submitted during the public comment period should be in 
writing and must be received by EPA by October 19, 2009, according to 
the procedures outlined below. Only those public comments submitted 
using the procedures identified in the August 20, 2009 FR notice by the 
October 19, 2009 deadline will be provided to the independent peer-
review panel prior to the peer-review meeting. The date and logistics 
for the peer-review meeting will be announced later in a separate FR 
notice.
    Listening session participants who want EPA to share their comments 
with the external peer reviewers should also submit written comments 
during the public comment period using the detailed and established 
procedures included in the aforementioned FR notice (August 20, 2009). 
Comments submitted to the docket prior to the end of the public comment 
period will be submitted to the external peer reviewers and considered 
by EPA in the disposition of public comments. All comments must be 
submitted to the docket, but comments received after the public comment 
period closes will not be submitted to the external peer reviewers.

ADDRESSES: The listening session on the draft Ethyl Tertiary Butyl 
Ether assessment will be held at the EPA offices at Two Potomac Yard 
(North Building), 7th Floor, Room 7100, 2733 South Crystal Drive, 
Arlington, Virginia 22202. To attend the listening session, register by 
September 30, 2009, via e-mail at Meetings@erg.com (subject line: Ethyl 
Tertiary Butyl Ether listening session), by phone: 781-674-7374, or by 
faxing a registration request to 781-674-2906 (please reference the 
``Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether Listening Session'' and include your name, 
title, affiliation, full address and contact information). Please note 
that to gain entrance to this EPA building to attend the meeting, 
attendees must have photo identification with them and must register at 
the guard's desk in the lobby. The guard will retain your photo 
identification and will provide you with a visitor's badge. At the 
guard's desk, attendees should give the name Christine Ross and the 
telephone number, 703-347-8592, to the guard on duty. The guard will 
contact Ms. Ross who will meet you in the reception area to escort you 
to the meeting room. When you leave the building, please return your 
visitor's badge to the guard and you will receive your photo 
identification.
    A teleconference line will also be available for registered 
attendees/speakers. The teleconference number is 866-299-3188 and the 
access code is 926-378-7897, followed by the pound sign (). 
The teleconference line will be activated at 8:45 a.m., and you will be 
asked to identify yourself and your affiliation at the beginning of the 
call.
    Information on Services for Individuals with Disabilities: EPA 
welcomes public attendance at the ``Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether 
Listening Session'' and will make every effort to accommodate persons 
with disabilities. For information on access or services for 
individuals with disabilities, please contact Christine Ross at 703-
347-8592 or ross.christine@epa.gov. To request accommodation of a 
disability, please contact Ms. Ross, preferably at least 10 days prior 
to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your 
request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public 
listening sessions, please contact Christine Ross, IRIS Staff, National 
Center for Environmental Assessment, (8601P), U.S. EPA, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 703-347-
8592; facsimile: 703-347-8689; or e-mail: ross.christine@epa.gov. If 
you have questions about the draft

[[Page 48539]]

Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether assessment, contact Andrew Hotchkiss, IRIS 
Staff, National Center for Environmental Assessment, U.S. EPA, 109 T.W. 
Alexander Drive, B243-01, Durham, NC 27711; telephone: 919-541-4164; 
facsimile: 919-541-0245; or e-mail: hotchkiss.andrew@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: IRIS is a database that contains potential 
adverse human health effects information that may result from chronic 
(or lifetime) exposure to specific chemical substances found in the 
environment. The database (available on the Internet at http://
www.epa.gov/iris) contains qualitative and quantitative health effects 
information for more than 540 chemical substances that may be used to 
support the first two steps (hazard identification and dose-response 
evaluation) of a risk assessment process. When supported by available 
data, the database provides oral reference doses (RfDs) and inhalation 
reference concentrations (RfCs) for chronic health effects, and oral 
slope factors and inhalation unit risks for carcinogenic effects. 
Combined with specific exposure information, government and private 
entities can use IRIS data to help characterize public health risks of 
chemical substances in a site-specific situation and thereby support 
risk management decisions designed to protect public health.
    This listening session is a step in EPA's revised process, 
announced on May 21, 2009, for development of human health assessments 
for inclusion on IRIS. The updated process is posted on the IRIS home 
page at http://www.epa.gov/iris.

    Dated: September 10, 2009.
Rebecca Clark,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. E9-22923 Filed 9-22-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
