[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 188 (Friday, September 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 61108]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24578]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Conceptual Discussions for Full Facepiece Air-Purifying
Respirators (APR) Standards and Air-Purifying Escape Respirator
Standards Development Efforts for Respiratory Protection Against
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Agents
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the
following meeting.
Name: Conceptual Discussions for full facepiece Air-Purifying
Respirators (APR) Standards and Air-Purifying Escape Respirator
Standards Development Efforts for Respiratory Protection Against
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Agents.
Times and Dates: 1 p.m.-5 p.m., October 16, 2002.
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., October 17, 2002.
Place: Hilton Garden Inn, 1000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg,
Pennsylvania.
Status: This meeting is hosted by NIOSH. The meeting will be
open to the public, limited only by the space available. Interested
parties should make hotel reservations directly with the Hilton,
referencing the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
Booking. Interested parties should confirm their attendance by
either emailing their intention to attend to [email protected], or by
contacting NIOSH at (412) 386-4000.
Requests to make presentations at the public meeting should be
mailed to the NIOSH Docket Officer, Robert A. Taft Laboratories, M/S
C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, telephone (513)
533-8303, fax (513) 533-8285, or e-mailed to [email protected].
All requests to present should contain the name, address, telephone
number, and relevant business affiliations of the presenter, a brief
summary of the presentation, and the approximate time requested for
the presentation. Oral presentations should be limited to 15
minutes. After reviewing the requests for presentations, NIOSH will
notify each presenter of the approximate time that their
presentation is scheduled to begin. If a participant is not present
when their presentation is scheduled to begin, the remaining
participants will be heard in order. At the conclusion of the
meeting, an attempt will be made to allow presentations by any
scheduled participants who missed their assigned times. Attendees
who wish to speak but did not submit a request for the opportunity
to make a presentation may be given this opportunity at the
conclusion of the meeting, at the discretion of the presiding
officer.
Comments on the topics presented in this notice and at the
meeting should be mailed to the NIOSH Docket Office, Robert A. Taft
Laboratories, M/S C34, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio
45226, telephone 513-533-8303, fax 513/533-8285. Comments may also
be submitted by e-mail to: [email protected]. e-mail attachments
should be formatted as WordPerfect 6/7/8/9, or Microsoft Word.
Comments should be submitted to NIOSH no later than November 15,
2002, and should reference docket number, NIOSH-002, in the subject
heading.
Purpose: The purpose of the meeting is to continue conceptual
discussions for full face piece APR CBRN standards and review
research efforts to identify stimulant materials for use as CBRN
test surrogates for respirator research and development efforts; and
to initiate discussion of concepts being considered for CBRN air-
purifying escape respirator standards. NIOSH, along with the U.S.
Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command (SBCCOM) and the
National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), will present
information to attendees concerning the concept development of the
APR CBRN standards, as well as concepts being considered for the
air-purifying escape respirator CBRN standards. Participants will be
given an opportunity to ask questions and to present individual
comments for consideration. Interested participants may obtain the
latest copies of the APR CBRN and air-purifying escape respirator
CBRN concept papers, as well as earlier versions of the concept
papers used during the standards development effort, from the NIOSH
contact identified below, or from the NIOSH National Personal
Protective Technology Laboratory Web site, address: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl. The September 16, 2002, APR CBRN concept
paper will be used as the basis for discussion at the public
meeting, as well as forming the basis for the new APR CBRN statement
of standards.
Recent acts of terrorism have created an urgent awareness of
domestic security and preparedness issues. Municipal, states, and
federal responder groups, particularly those in locations considered
potential targets, have been developing and modifying response and
consequence management plans. Since the World Trade Center and
anthrax incidents, most emergency response agencies have operated
with a heightened appreciation of the potential scope and sustained
resources requirements for coping with such events. The Federal
Interagency Board for Equipment Standardization and Interoperability
(IAB) has worked to identify personal protective equipment that is
already available on the market for responders' use. The IAB has
identified the development of standards or guidelines for
respiratory protection equipment as a top priority. NIOSH, NIST, the
National Fire Protection Association and the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration have entered into a Memorandum of
Understanding defining each agency or organization's role in
developing, establishing, and enforcing standards or guidelines for
responders' respiratory protective devices. NIST has initiated
Interagency Agreements with NIOSH and SBCCOM to aid in the
development of appropriate protection standards or guidelines. NIOSH
has the lead in developing standards or guidelines to test, evaluate
and approve respirators.
NIOSH, SBCCOM, and NIST have hosted public meetings on June 18
and 19, 2002, and April 17 and 18, 2001, presenting their progress
in assessing respiratory protection needs of responders to CBRN
incidents. The methods or models for developing hazard and exposure
estimates, and the status in evaluating test methods and performance
standards that may be applicable as future CBRN respirator standards
or guidelines were discussed at these meetings. On December 28,
2001, NIOSH announced standards for the evaluation and approval of
self-contained breathing apparatus to protect emergency responders
against CBRN agents. NIOSH, SBCCOM, and NIST are in the process of
developing CBRN respiratory protection standards and guidelines for
full facepiece APR and air-purifying escape respirators, as well as
other classes of respirators. The October 16 and 17, 2002, public
meeting will continue conceptual discussions for the CBRN APR, as
well as introduce concepts being considered for the CBRN air-
purifying escape respirators.
Contact Persons for Additional Information: Mr. Jonathan
Szalajda, NIOSH, PO Box 18070, 626 Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh,
PA 15236, telephone (412) 386-6627, fax (412) 386-6747 and/or e-
mail: [email protected].
The Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, has been
delegated the authority to sign Federal Register Notices pertaining
to announcements of meetings and other committee management
activities, for both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Dated: September 23, 2002.
John Burckhardt,
Acting Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 02-24578 Filed 9-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P