Department of Health and Human Services November 29, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), notice is hereby given of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) meeting in December 2005 and the final Annotated Agenda for the 2005 WHCoA. The Policy Committee approved this final Annotated Agenda during a meeting held by conference call on November 3, 2005. The Annotated Agenda covers six broad areas that reflect major issues facing older individuals now and for the next 10 years. The 2005 WHCoA will be open to the public. Individuals who wish to attend should call or email the contact person listed below in advance of the meeting and inform her of the day they wish to attend; since space for the public is limited, attendance will be on a first come first-served basis. Individuals who need special assistance, such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations, should inform the contact person of the type of assistance that is desired.

This Notice provides the status of ATSDR's Superfund-mandated Substance-Specific Applied Research Program (SSARP) which was last updated in a Federal Register notice in 2002 (67 FR 4836). Authorized by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA, also known as the Superfund statute), as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) [42 U.S.C. 9604 (i)], this research program was initiated on October 17, 1991. At that time, a list of priority data needs for 38 priority hazardous substances frequently found at waste sites was announced in the Federal Register (56 FR 52178). The list was subsequently revised based on public comments and published in final form on November 16, 1992 (57 FR 54150). The 38 substances, each of which is found on ATSDR's Priority List of Hazardous Substances (68 FR 63098, November 7, 2003), are aldrin/ dieldrin, arsenic, benzene, beryllium, cadmium, carbon tetrachloride, chloroethane, chloroform, chromium, cyanide, p,p'-DDT,DDE,DDD, di(2- ethylhexyl) phthalate, lead, mercury, methylene chloride, nickel, polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHsincludes 15 substances), selenium, tetrachloroethylene, toluene, trichloroethylene, vinyl chloride, and zinc. On July 30, 1997, priority data needs for 12 additional hazardous substances frequently found at waste sites were determined and announced in the Federal Register (62 FR 40820). The 12 substances, each of which is included in ATSDR's Priority List of Hazardous Substances, are chlordane, 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane, di-n-butyl phthalate, disulfoton, endrin (includes endrin aldehyde), endosulfan (alpha-, beta-, and endosulfan sulfate), heptachlor (includes heptachlor epoxide), hexachlorobutadiene, hexachlorocyclohexane (alpha- , beta-, delta- and gamma-), manganese, methoxychlor, and toxaphene. More recently, priority data needs for 10 additional hazardous substances frequently found at waste sites were determined and announced in the Federal Register (68 FR 22704). The ten substances, each of which is included in ATSDR's Priority List of Hazardous Substances, are asbestos, benzidine, chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, 1,2-dibromoethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethene, ethylbenzene, pentachlorophenol, 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, and total xylenes. Currently, the priority data needs for acrolein and barium are being identified and will be reported in a future Federal Register notice. To date, 270 priority data needs have been identified for the 60 hazardous substances, and 86 priority data needs have been filled (Table 1). ATSDR fills these research needs through U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory mechanisms (test rules), private- sector voluntarism, and the direct use of CERCLA funds. Additional priority data needs are being addressed through collaboration with the National Toxicology Program (NTP), by ATSDR's Great Lakes Human Health Effects Research Program, and other Agency programs. Priority data needs documents describing ATSDR's rationale for prioritizing research needs for each substance are available. See ADDRESSES section of this Notice. This Notice also serves as a continuous call for voluntary research proposals. Private-sector organizations may volunteer to conduct research to address specific priority data needs identified in this Notice by indicating their interest through submission of a letter of intent to ATSDR (see ADDRESSES section of this Notice). A Tri-Agency Superfund Applied Research Committee (TASARC) composed of scientists from ATSDR, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)/NTP, and the EPA, will review all proposed voluntary research studies.