National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health

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 board meeting:

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

Times and Dates: 8 a.m.-4 p.m., February 5, 2004; 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., February 6, 2004.

Place: Radisson Riverfront Hotel Augusta, Two Tenth Street, Augusta, Georgia 30901, telephone (706) 823-6505, fax (706) 724-0044.

Status: Open 8 a.m.-4 p.m., February 5, 2004. Open 8 a.m.-12 p.m., February 6, 2004. Closed 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m., February 6, 2004.

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 the NIOSH for qualified cancer claimants, and advice on petitions to add 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 issued on August 3, 2001, and renewed on August 3, 2003.

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 for this meeting will focus on Program Status Reports from NIOSH and Department of Labor; Site Profile Status; Research Issues; a Board Working Session with Sanford Cohen and Associates, and a closed session to discuss Task Order Proposals and Independent Government Cost Estimate.

The closed portion of the meeting on the afternoon of February 6th will involve discussion of the Task Order proposals and Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE), which could lead to a revision of the IGCE. These contracts will serve to provide technical support consultation to assist the ABRWH in fulfilling its statutory duty to advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the scientific validity and quality of dose estimation and reconstruction efforts under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.

This portion of the meeting will be closed to the public in accordance with provisions set forth regarding subject matter considered confidential under the terms of 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B), 48 CFR 5.401(b)(1) and (4), and 48 CFR 7.304(d), and the Determination of the Director of the Director of the Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pursuant to Pub. L. 92-1.A summary of this meeting will be prepared and submitted within 14 days of the close of the meeting.

The agenda is subject to change as priorities dictate.

Due to programmatic issues that had to be resolved, the Federal Register notice is being published less than fifteen days before the date of the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Larry Elliott, Executive Secretary, ABRWH, NIOSH, CDC, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, telephone (513) 533-6825, fax (513) 533-6826.

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.