03-9689. Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (ABRWH), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

In accordance with section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the following workgroup meeting:

Name: Dose Reconstruction Workgroup, Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (ABRWH), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Time and date: 9 a.m.-12 p.m., April 30, 2003.

Place: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Hamilton Building, 5555 Ridge Avenue, Conference Room C, Cincinnati, Ohio 45213, telephone [phone], fax [phone].

Status: Open to the public, limited only by the space available. The meeting room accommodates approximately 55 people.

Background

The Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (“the Board”) was established under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) of 2000 to advise the President, through the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), on a variety of policy and technical functions required to implement and effectively manage the new compensation program. Key functions of the Board include providing advice on the development of probability of causation guidelines which have been promulgated by HHS as a final rule, advice on methods of dose reconstruction which have also been promulgated by HHS as a final rule, evaluation of the scientific validity and quality of dose reconstructions conducted by NIOSH for qualified cancer claimants, and advice on the addition of classes of workers to the Special Exposure Cohort.

In December 2000 the President delegated responsibility for funding, staffing, and operating the Board to HHS, which subsequently delegated this authority to the CDC. NIOSH implements this responsibility for CDC. The charter was signed on August 3, 2001, and the President has completed the appointment of members to the Board to ensure a balanced representation on the Board.

Purpose

This board is charged with (a) providing advice to the Secretary, HHS, on the development of guidelines under Executive Order 13179; (b) providing advice to the Secretary, HHS, on the scientific validity and quality of dose reconstruction efforts performed for this Program; and (c) upon request by the Secretary, HHS, advise the Secretary on whether there is a class of employees at any Department of Energy facility who were exposed to radiation but for whom it is not feasible to estimate their radiation dose, and on whether there is reasonable likelihood that such radiation doses may have endangered the health of members of this class.

Matters To Be Discussed

Agenda will focus on a “Pre-Bidders” meeting regarding the scope of work for the solicitation titled, “Technical Support for the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health Review of the NIOSH Dose Reconstruction Program.”

Agenda items are subject to change as priorities dictate.

As provided under 41 CFR 102-3.150(b), the public health urgency of this agency business requires that the meeting be held prior to the first available date for publication of this notice in the Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Larry Elliott, Executive Secretary, ABRWH, NIOSH, CDC, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, telephone [phone], fax [phone].

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 CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Dated: April 15, 2003.

Alvin Hall,

Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.