2020-14054. Human Studies Review Board; Notification of Public Meetings

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development announces two separate public meetings of the Human Studies Review Board (HSRB) to advise the Agency on the ethical and scientific review of research involving human subjects.

DATES:

A two-day virtual public meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 21, 2020 and Wednesday, July 22, 2020, both from 1:00 p.m. to approximately 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time. A separate, subsequent teleconference meeting is planned for Thursday, September 17, 2020, from 2:00 p.m. to approximately 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time for the HSRB to finalize its Report of the July 21 and 22, 2020 meeting.

ADDRESSES:

All of these meetings will be conducted entirely virtually and by telephone. For detailed access information visit the HSRB website: https://www.epa.gov/​osa/​human-studies-review-board.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Any member of the public who wishes to receive further information should contact the HSRB Designated Federal Official (DFO), Thomas O'Farrell at the following telephone number: [phone] or by email address at: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Meeting access: These meetings will be open to the public. The full agenda with access information and meeting materials will be available at the HSRB website: https://www.epa.gov/​osa/​human-studies-review-board. For questions on document availability, or if you do not have access to the internet, consult with the DFO, Thomas O'Farrell, listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Special accommodations. For information on access or services for individuals with disabilities, or to request accommodation of a disability, please contact the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT at least 10 days prior to the meeting to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request.

How may I participate in this meeting?

The HSRB encourages the public's input. You may participate in these meetings by following the instructions in this section.

1. Oral comments. To pre-register to make oral comments, please contact the DFO, Thomas O'Farrell, listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Requests to present oral comments during the meeting will be accepted up to Noon Eastern Time on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, for the July 21 and 22, 2020 meeting and up to Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, September 10, 2020 for the September 17, 2020 meeting. To the extent that time permits, interested persons who have not pre-registered may be permitted by the HSRB Chair to present oral comments during either meeting at the designated time on the agenda. Oral comments before the HSRB are generally limited to five minutes per individual or organization. If additional time is available, further public comments may be possible.

2. Written comments. Submit your written comments prior to the meetings. For the Board to have the best opportunity to review and consider your comments as it deliberates, you should submit your comments via email by Noon Eastern Time on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, for the July 21 and 22, 2020 meeting and by Noon Eastern Time on Thursday, September 10, 2020 for the September 17, 2020 meeting. If you submit comments after these dates, those comments will be provided to the HSRB members, but you should recognize that the HSRB members may not have adequate time to consider your comments prior to their discussion. You should submit your comments to the DFO, Thomas O'Farrell listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. There is no limit on the length of written comments for consideration by the HSRB.

Background

The HSRB is a Federal advisory committee operating in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act 5 U.S.C. App. 2, section 9. The HSRB provides advice, information, and recommendations on issues related to scientific and ethical aspects of third-party human subjects research that are submitted to the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) to be used for regulatory purposes.

Topic for discussion. On July 21, 2020, the HSRB will review a completed study from Citrefine International Limited titled “A single group trial to determine the complete protection time of an insect repellent formulation containing 30% Citridiol® (Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus) against three species of ticks”. On July 22, 2020, the HSRB will review a protocol from the Antimicrobial Exposure Assessment Task Force II titled “A Study for Measurement of Potential Dermal and Inhalation Exposure During Pressurized Hand-Wand Spraying of Antimicrobial Products”. The agenda and meeting materials for this topic will be seven calendar days available in advance of the meeting at https://www.epa.gov/​osa/​human-studies-review-board.

On September 17, 2020, the HSRB will review and finalize their draft Final Report from the July 21 and 22, 2020 meeting. The agenda and the draft report will be available seven calendar days prior to the meeting at https://www.epa.gov/​osa/​human-studies-review-board.

Meeting minutes and final reports. Minutes of these meetings, summarizing the topics discussed and recommendations made by the HSRB, will be released within 90 calendar days of each meeting. These minutes will be available at https://www.epa.gov/​osa/​human-studies-review-board. In addition, information regarding the HSRB's Final Report, will be found at https://www.epa.gov/​osa/​human-studies-review-board or can be requested from Thomas O'Farrell listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta,

EPA Science Advisor.