A Framework for Assessing Health Risks of Environmental Exposures to Children, 13125-13126 [06-2436]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 14, 2006 / Notices ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL–8044–9] Notice of Proposed Prospective Purchaser Agreement Pursuant to CERCLA and RCRA, Chem-Wood Facility, Campbell Industrial Park, Ewa Beach, HI Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice; request for public comment. wwhite on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a proposed Prospective Purchaser Agreement (‘‘Agreement’’) associated with the Chem-Wood Facility, located at 91–476 Komohana Street in Campbell Industrial Park, Ewa Beach, Hawaii, was executed by the Agency and the United States Department of Justice on March 3, 2006. Chem-Wood is a former woodtreating facility at which a number of wastes have been generated and hazardous substances, including copper chromated arsenic and pentachlorophenol, have been used. The Agreement is between Kanani L.L.C. and the United States, and is subject to final approval after the comment period. The Agreement would resolve certain potential EPA claims under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (‘‘CERCLA’’), and potential claims under sections 3008(h) and 7003 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (‘‘RCRA’’). Kanani L.L.C. plans to purchase the Chem-Wood Facility for storage of supplies and materials, parking of vehicles on paved areas, and other similar uses. Under this proposed Agreement, Kanani L.L.C. would be required to perform ground water and soil response actions, maintain security of the perimeter of the property, and maintain the integrity of the existing asphalt cap. Also under the Agreement, Kanani L.L.C. will be required to grant access to the property to EPA, its authorized officers, employees, representatives, and all other persons performing response actions under EPA oversight. DATES: The comment period will expire fifteen (15) days from the date of this notice. A public hearing will be held on March 22, 2006 at 6 p.m. at Kapolei Elementary School, 91–1119 Kamaaha Loop, Kapolei, Hawaii, in accordance with section 7003(d) of RCRA, 42 U.S.C. 6973(d). ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted to Harrison Karr, Assistant VerDate Aug<31>2005 19:18 Mar 13, 2006 Jkt 208001 Regional Counsel (ORC–3), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California 94105 (phone (415) 972–3939; e-mail: karr.harrison@epa.gov). Comments should reference ‘‘The Chem-Wood Facility Prospective Purchaser Agreement.’’ EPA’s response to any comments received will be available for public inspection at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California 94105 and at the information repository of the ChemWood facility located at the Hawaii Department of Health, Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch, 919 Ala Moana Blvd. Suite 212, Honolulu, Hawaii. Availability: The proposed settlement is available for public inspection at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California 94105, and the information repository for the ChemWood Facility located at the Hawaii Department of Health, Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch, 919 Ala Moana Blvd. Suite 212, Honolulu, Hawaii. A copy of the proposed Agreement may be obtained from Harrison Karr, Assistant Regional Counsel (ORC–3), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California 94105 (phone (415) 972– 3939; e-mail: karr.harrison@epa.gov). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Harrison Karr, Assistant Regional Counsel (ORC–3) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, California 94105; phone (415) 972–3939; e-mail: karr.harrison@epa.gov. Dated: March 3, 2006. Jeff Scott, Director, Waste Management Division, U.S. EPA, Region IX. Dated: March 2, 2006. Keith Takata, Director, Superfund Division, U.S. EPA, Region IX. [FR Doc. E6–3584 Filed 3–13–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL–8044–6; Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD– 2006–0134] A Framework for Assessing Health Risks of Environmental Exposures to Children AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. PO 00000 Frm 00060 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 ACTION: 13125 Notice of public comment period. SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 45-day public comment period for the external review draft document titled, ‘‘A Framework for Assessing Health Risks of Environmental Exposures to Children’’ (EPA/600/R–05/093A). The draft document was prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) within EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD). For external scientific peer review, EPA has hired Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG) to convene an independent panel of experts and organize and conduct an external peer-review workshop. The date and location for the external peer-review workshop will be announced in a separate Federal Register notice, once that information is obtained by EPA. The public comment period and the external peer-review workshop are separate processes that provide opportunities for all interested parties to comment on the document. In addition to consideration by EPA, all public comments submitted in accordance with this notice will also be forwarded to ERG for the external peerreview panel prior to the workshop. EPA is releasing this external review draft document solely for the purpose of pre-dissemination peer review under applicable information quality guidelines. This draft document has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency policy or determination. DATES: The 45-day public comment period begins March 14, 2006, and ends April 28, 2006. Technical comments should be in writing and must be received by EPA by April 28, 2006. ADDRESSES: The draft document and EPA’s peer-review charge are available primarily via the Internet on the National Center for Environmental Assessment’s home page under the Recent Additions and Publications menus at https://www.epa.gov/ncea. A limited number of paper copies are available from the Technical Information Staff, NCEA–W; telephone: 202–564–3261; facsimile: 202–565– 0050. If you are requesting a paper copy, please provide your name, mailing address, and the document title, ‘‘A Framework for Assessing Health Risks of Environmental Exposures to Children’’ (EPA/600/R–05/093A). Comments may be submitted electronically via https:// www.regulations.gov, by mail, by facsimile, or by hand delivery/courier. Please follow the detailed instructions E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM 14MRN1 13126 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 14, 2006 / Notices as provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice. II. How To Submit Technical Comments to the Docket For information on the public comment period, contact the OEI Docket; telephone: 202–566–1752; facsimile: 202–566–1753; or e-mail: ORD.Docket@epa.gov. If you have questions about the document, please contact the Technical Information Staff, National Center for Environmental Assessment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 202– 564–3261; facsimile: 202–565–0050; or e-mail: NCEADC.Comment@epa.gov. Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2006– 0134, by one of the following methods: • https://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments. • E-mail: ORD.Docket@epa.gov. • Fax: 202–566–1753. • Mail: Office of Environmental Information Docket (Mail Code: 2822T), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202–566–1752. • Hand delivery/courier: The Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket is located in the Headquarters EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West Building, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is 202–566–1744, and the telephone number for the OEI Docket is 202–566–1752; facsimile: 202– 566–1753; or e-mail: ORD.Docket@epa.gov. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket’s normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. If you provide technical comments by mail or hand delivery/courier, please submit one unbound original with pages numbered consecutively, and three copies of the comments. For attachments, provide an index, number pages consecutively with the comments, and submit an unbound original and three copies. Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2006– 0134. EPA’s policy is that all comments received will be included in the public docket without change and may be made available online at https:// www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through https:// www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The https://www.regulations.gov Web site 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 e-mail comment directly to EPA without going through https:// www.regulations.gov, your e-mail FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: wwhite on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES I. Information About the Document Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the recognition of, and public health concern for, the vulnerability of children to exposure to environmental agents. Children have unusual patterns of exposure and have vulnerabilities to chemical agents that are quite distinct from those of adults, and thus require special consideration in risk assessment. Children often have disproportionately higher exposures to certain environmental toxicants because, pound-for-pound of body weight, children have higher food and water intake and breathe more air than adults. Metabolic pathways in the young, especially in the first few months after birth, are immature, and the ability to detoxify environmental agents is different from that of adults. In addition, behavior and activity patterns of children often magnify their exposures. These factors imply that children are likely to have more substantial exposures than adults to certain environmental agents. This document attempts to organize and present current knowledge and practices in a programmatic framework for assessing human health risks from exposures to environmental agents from prior to conception through adolescence. It describes this framework within the current Agency risk assessment paradigm, and includes problem formulation, analysis and risk characterization as discrete steps in the process. Moreover, this document focuses on mode of action as a context for considering the toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic differences between children and adults, and considers approaches for risk assessment in the context of uncertainty and variability in exposure and critical windows of development. VerDate Aug<31>2005 19:18 Mar 13, 2006 Jkt 208001 PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 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 home page at https:// www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm. Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the https:// 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 in the EPA Headquarters Docket Center. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy. Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically in https:// www.regulations.gov, or in hard copy at the OEI Docket in the EPA Headquarters Docket Center. Dated: March 7, 2006. George W. Alapas, Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment. [FR Doc. 06–2436 Filed 3–13–06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION Sunshine Act; Farm Credit Administration Board; Regular Meeting Farm Credit Administration. Notice is hereby given, pursuant to the Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 552b(e)(3)), that the April 13, 2006 regular meeting of the Farm Credit Administration Board (Board) has been rescheduled. The regular meeting of the Board will be held Thursday, April 6, 2006 starting at 9 a.m. An agenda for this meeting will be published at a later date. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roland E. Smith, Secretary to the Farm Credit Administration Board, (703) 883– 4009, TTY (703) 883–4056. ADDRESSES: Farm Credit Administration, 1501 Farm Credit Drive, McLean, Virginia 22102–5090. AGENCY: SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM 14MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 14, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13125-13126]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-2436]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8044-6; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2006-0134]


A Framework for Assessing Health Risks of Environmental Exposures 
to Children

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of public comment period.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a 
45-day public comment period for the external review draft document 
titled, ``A Framework for Assessing Health Risks of Environmental 
Exposures to Children'' (EPA/600/R-05/093A). The draft document was 
prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) 
within EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD).
    For external scientific peer review, EPA has hired Eastern Research 
Group, Inc. (ERG) to convene an independent panel of experts and 
organize and conduct an external peer-review workshop. The date and 
location for the external peer-review workshop will be announced in a 
separate Federal Register notice, once that information is obtained by 
EPA. The public comment period and the external peer-review workshop 
are separate processes that provide opportunities for all interested 
parties to comment on the document. In addition to consideration by 
EPA, all public comments submitted in accordance with this notice will 
also be forwarded to ERG for the external peer-review panel prior to 
the workshop.
    EPA is releasing this external review draft document solely for the 
purpose of pre-dissemination peer review under applicable information 
quality guidelines. This draft document has not been formally 
disseminated by EPA. It does not represent and should not be construed 
to represent any Agency policy or determination.

DATES: The 45-day public comment period begins March 14, 2006, and ends 
April 28, 2006. Technical comments should be in writing and must be 
received by EPA by April 28, 2006.

ADDRESSES: The draft document and EPA's peer-review charge are 
available primarily via the Internet on the National Center for 
Environmental Assessment's home page under the Recent Additions and 
Publications menus at https://www.epa.gov/ncea. A limited number of 
paper copies are available from the Technical Information Staff, NCEA-
W; telephone: 202-564-3261; facsimile: 202-565-0050. If you are 
requesting a paper copy, please provide your name, mailing address, and 
the document title, ``A Framework for Assessing Health Risks of 
Environmental Exposures to Children'' (EPA/600/R-05/093A).
    Comments may be submitted electronically via https://
www.regulations.gov, by mail, by facsimile, or by hand delivery/
courier. Please follow the detailed instructions

[[Page 13126]]

as provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public comment 
period, contact the OEI Docket; telephone: 202-566-1752; facsimile: 
202-566-1753; or e-mail: ORD.Docket@epa.gov.
    If you have questions about the document, please contact the 
Technical Information Staff, National Center for Environmental 
Assessment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone: 202-564-3261; facsimile: 202-565-0050; or e-mail: 
NCEADC.Comment@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About the Document

    Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the 
recognition of, and public health concern for, the vulnerability of 
children to exposure to environmental agents. Children have unusual 
patterns of exposure and have vulnerabilities to chemical agents that 
are quite distinct from those of adults, and thus require special 
consideration in risk assessment. Children often have 
disproportionately higher exposures to certain environmental toxicants 
because, pound-for-pound of body weight, children have higher food and 
water intake and breathe more air than adults. Metabolic pathways in 
the young, especially in the first few months after birth, are 
immature, and the ability to detoxify environmental agents is different 
from that of adults. In addition, behavior and activity patterns of 
children often magnify their exposures. These factors imply that 
children are likely to have more substantial exposures than adults to 
certain environmental agents. This document attempts to organize and 
present current knowledge and practices in a programmatic framework for 
assessing human health risks from exposures to environmental agents 
from prior to conception through adolescence. It describes this 
framework within the current Agency risk assessment paradigm, and 
includes problem formulation, analysis and risk characterization as 
discrete steps in the process. Moreover, this document focuses on mode 
of action as a context for considering the toxicokinetic and 
toxicodynamic differences between children and adults, and considers 
approaches for risk assessment in the context of uncertainty and 
variability in exposure and critical windows of development.

II. How To Submit Technical Comments to the Docket

    Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2006-
0134, by one of the following methods:
     https://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: ORD.Docket@epa.gov.
     Fax: 202-566-1753.
     Mail: Office of Environmental Information Docket (Mail 
Code: 2822T), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. The phone number is 202-566-1752.
     Hand delivery/courier: The Office of Environmental 
Information (OEI) Docket is located in the Headquarters EPA Docket 
Center (EPA/DC), EPA West Building, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open 
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is 202-566-
1744, and the telephone number for the OEI Docket is 202-566-1752; 
facsimile: 202-566-1753; or e-mail: ORD.Docket@epa.gov. Such deliveries 
are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and 
special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed 
information.
    If you provide technical comments by mail or hand delivery/courier, 
please submit one unbound original with pages numbered consecutively, 
and three copies of the comments. For attachments, provide an index, 
number pages consecutively with the comments, and submit an unbound 
original and three copies.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2006-0134. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through https://
www.regulations.gov or e-mail. The https://www.regulations.gov Web site 
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 e-mail comment directly to EPA without 
going through https://www.regulations.gov, your e-mail 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 home page at https://www.epa.gov/
epahome/dockets.htm.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the https://
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 in the EPA Headquarters 
Docket Center. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, 
will be publicly available only in hard copy. Publicly available docket 
materials are available either electronically in https://
www.regulations.gov, or in hard copy at the OEI Docket in the EPA 
Headquarters Docket Center.

    Dated: March 7, 2006.
George W. Alapas,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 06-2436 Filed 3-13-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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