[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 143 (Friday, July 24, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44887-44888]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16047]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-ORD-2020-0183; FRL-10012-20-ORD]


Availability of the IRIS Assessment Plan for Oral Exposure to 
Vanadium and Compounds

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 30-
day public comment period associated with release of the IRIS 
Assessment Plan for Oral Exposure to Vanadium and Compounds. This 
document communicates information on the scoping needs identified by 
EPA program and regional offices and the IRIS Program's initial problem 
formulation activities. Specifically, the assessment plan outlines the 
objectives for the IRIS assessment and the type of evidence considered 
most pertinent to address the scoping needs. EPA is releasing this IRIS 
Assessment Plan for a 30-day public comment period in advance of a 
public science webinar planned for August 19, 2020. The Agency 
encourages the public to comment on all aspects of the assessment plan, 
including key science issues and identification of any new or missing 
studies.

DATES: The 30-day public comment period begins July 24, 2020 and ends 
August 24, 2020. Comments must be received on or before August 24, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: The IRIS Assessment Plan for Oral Exposure to Vanadium and 
Compounds will be available via the internet on the IRIS website at 
https://www.epa.gov/iris/iris-recent-additions and in the public docket 
at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2020-0182.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public comment 
period, contact the ORD Docket at the EPA Headquarters Docket Center; 
telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile: 202-566-9744; or 
email:Docket_ORD@epa.gov.
    For technical information on the IRIS Assessment Plan for Oral 
Exposure to Vanadium and Compounds, contact Dr. James Avery, CPHEA; 
telephone: 202-564-1494; or email: avery.james@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About IRIS Assessment Plans

    EPA's IRIS Program is a human health assessment program that 
evaluates quantitative and qualitative information on the health 
effects that may result from exposure to chemicals found in the 
environment. Through the IRIS Program, EPA provides high quality 
science-based human health assessments to support the Agency's 
regulatory activities and decisions to protect public health. As part 
of scoping and initial problem formulation activities prior to the 
development of an assessment, the IRIS Program carries out a broad, 
preliminary literature survey to assist in identifying health effects 
that have been studied in relation to the chemical or substance of 
interest, as well as science issues that may need to be considered when 
evaluating toxicity. This information, in conjunction with scoping 
needs identified by EPA

[[Page 44888]]

program and regional offices, is used to inform the development of an 
IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP).
    The IAP communicates the plan for developing each individual 
chemical assessment to the public and includes summary information on 
the IRIS Program's scoping and initial problem formulation activities, 
objectives and specific aims for the assessment, and a PECO 
(Populations, Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes) for the systematic 
review. The PECO provides the framework for developing detailed 
literature search strategies and inclusion/exclusion criteria, 
particularly with respect to evidence stream (e.g., human, animal, 
mechanistic), exposure measures, and outcome measures. The IAP serves 
to inform the subsequent development of chemical-specific systematic 
review protocols, which will be made available for public review.

II. Public Webinar Information

    To allow for public input, EPA is convening a public webinar to 
discuss the IRIS Assessment Plan for Oral Exposure to Vanadium and 
Compounds on August 19, 2020. Specific teleconference and webinar 
information regarding this public meeting will be provided through the 
IRIS website (https://www.epa.gov/iris) and via EPA's IRIS listserv. To 
register for the IRIS listserv, visit the IRIS website (https://www.epa.gov/iris) or visit https://www.epa.gov/iris/forms/staying-connected-integrated-risk-information-system#connect.

III. How to Submit Technical Comments to the Docket at https://www.regulations.gov

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2020-
0183 for IRIS Assessment Plan for Oral Exposure to Vanadium and 
Compounds, by one of the following methods:
     www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for 
submitting comments.
     Email: Docket_ORD@epa.gov.
     Fax: 202-566-9744. Due to COVID-19, there may be a delay 
in processing comments submitted by fax.
     Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket 
Center (ORD Docket), Mail Code: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202-566-1752. Due to COVID-
19, there may be a delay in processing comments submitted by mail.
    Note: The EPA Docket Center and Reading Room is currently closed to 
public visitors to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19. Docket 
Center staff will continue to provide remote customer service via 
email, phone, and webform. The public can submit comments via 
www.Regulations.gov or email. No hand deliveries are currently being 
accepted.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2020-0183. Please ensure that your comments are submitted within the 
specified comment period. Comments received after the closing date will 
be marked ``late,'' and may only be considered if time permits. It is 
EPA's policy to include all comments it receives in the public docket 
without change and to make the comments available online at 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, 
unless a comment includes information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information for which disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Do not submit information through 
www.regulations.gov or email that you consider to be CBI or otherwise 
protected. The www.regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous access'' 
system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact 
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you 
send an email comment directly to EPA without going through 
www.regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically captured 
and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket 
and made available on the internet. If you submit an electronic 
comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact 
information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you 
submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties 
and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to 
consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special 
characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or 
viruses. For additional information about EPA's public docket visit the 
EPA Docket Center homepage at www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
    Docket: Documents in the docket are listed in the 
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other materials, 
such as copyrighted material, are publicly available only in hard copy. 
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically 
in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the ORD Docket in the EPA 
Headquarters Docket Center.

Wayne E. Cascio,
Director, Center for Public Health & Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2020-16047 Filed 7-23-20; 8:45 am]
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