NIOSH Media Advisory: Notice of Public Meeting, Request for Comments on: NIOSH Occupational Exposure Banding Process: Guidance for the Evaluation of Chemical Hazards

Contact: Christina Spring (202) 245-0633

WHAT

Notice of Public Meeting, Request for Comments on: NIOSH Occupational Exposure Banding Process: Guidance for the Evaluation of Chemical Hazards

WHEN

May 23, 2017, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET

WHERE

Robert A. Taft Laboratories,

Auditorium, 1150 Tusculum Avenue,

Cincinnati, Ohio 45226

The meeting will also be available through a conference call phone number and Webcast live on the Internet for a limited number of participants. Notification of intent to attend the meeting, for both in-person and remote participation, or to provide oral comments must be made to the NIOSH Docket Office, at nioshdocket@cdc.gov, (513) 533–8611.

*Public comments may end before the time indicated, following the last call for comments. Members of the public who wish to provide comments should plan to attend the meeting at the start time listed.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of the public meeting and comment period is to obtain comments on the draft document. Details, background, registration: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket/review/docket290/default.html

Occupational exposure banding is a process of quickly assigning chemicals into specific categories or bands. These bands are assigned based on a chemical’s potency and the negative health outcomes associated with exposure to the chemical. The output of this process is an occupational exposure band (OEB), which corresponds to a range of exposure concentrations that is expected to be protective to worker health. Recently NIOSH has developed a process to apply the occupational exposure banding process to a broad spectrum of occupational settings. The NIOSH occupational exposure banding process uses available, but often limited, toxicological data to determine a potential range of chemical exposure levels that can be used as targets for exposure controls to reduce risk among workers.

Comments are being sought from individuals including scientists and representatives from various government agencies, industry, labor, and other stakeholders, and also the public.