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

AGENCY:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION:

Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the following meeting of the Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health (ABRWH or the Advisory Board). This is a virtual meeting. It is open to the public, with a public comment period. The public is also welcome to submit written comments in advance of the meeting, to the contact person listed in the addresses section below. The public is also welcome to listen to the meeting by joining the teleconference (information below), limited only by the number of audio conference lines available (150).

DATES:

The meeting will be held on August 7, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., EDT, and on August 8, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., EDT. A public comment session will be held on August 7, 2024, at 5 p.m., EDT, and will conclude at 6 p.m., EDT, or following the final call for public comment, whichever comes first.

Written comments must be received on or before August 5, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments by mail to: Rashaun Roberts, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, Mailstop C-24, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226.

Meeting Information: The USA toll-free dial-in numbers are: +1 669 254 5252 US (San Jose); and +1 646 828 7666 US (New York). The meeting ID is: 160 6763 3819; the Passcode is: 98685439; and the Web conference by Zoom meeting connection is: https://cdc.zoomgov.com/j/16067633819?pwd=RUdiYXlZZHFKanpJOHZrcGJIbTlaZz09.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Rashaun Roberts, Ph.D., Designated Federal Official, National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, Mailstop C-24, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, Telephone: (513) 533-6800; Toll Free 1 (800) 232-4636; Email: ocas@cdc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background: The Advisory Board was established under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 to advise the President on a variety of policy and technical functions required to implement and effectively manage the new compensation program. Key functions of the Advisory Board include providing advice on the development of probability of causation guidelines, that have been promulgated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a final rule, advice on methods of dose reconstruction which have also been promulgated by HHS as a final rule; advice on the scientific validity and quality of dose estimation and reconstruction efforts being performed for purposes of the compensation program, and advice on petitions to add classes of workers to the Special Exposure Cohort (SEC). In December 2000, the President delegated responsibility for funding, staffing, and operating the Advisory 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, renewed at appropriate intervals, and rechartered under Executive Order 13179 on March 22, 2024. Unless continued by the President the Board will terminate on September 30, 2025, consistent with E.O. 14109 of September 29, 2023.

Purpose: This Advisory 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, advising the Secretary on whether there is a class of employees at any Department of Energy (DOE) 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 Considered: The agenda will include discussions on the following: National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health Program Update; Department of Labor Program Update; Department of Energy Program Update; SEC Petitions Update; Procedures Review Finalization/Document Approvals; Idaho National Lab; Savannah River Site, Pinellas Workgroup, and Subcommittee on Dose Reconstruction Review updates; a Board Work Session; and Board Correspondence review. Agenda items are subject to change as priorities dictate. For additional information, please contact Toll Free 1-800-232-4636.

The Director, Office of Strategic Business Initiatives, Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 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.