Environmental Factor, May 2008, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
NTP Seeks Public Input on BPA Draft Report
By Eddy Ball
May 2008
A request for public comment by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) on its much anticipated Draft NTP Brief on Bisphenol A (BPA)(http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/chemicals/bisphenol/bisphenol.html) on April 15 sparked interest in the national and environmental media. Web commentary showed up almost immediately, and reports appeared the next day in newspapers and on wire services across the United States and Canada.
The draft NTP brief provides conclusions on the potential for bisphenol A to cause adverse reproductive and/or developmental effects in exposed humans. It is based on the report completed in Fall 2007 by an expert panel on bisphenol A convened by the NTP Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR), public comments received on the report and new relevant scientific literature.
The NIEHS Office of Communications and Public Liaison experienced a high volume of media inquiry, and the NIEHS Website “Since You Asked: Questions about BPA” was accessed a record 3700 times on April 17. NTP spokespersons included Associate Director John Bucher, Ph.D., who was quoted in several reports, and Mike Shelby, Ph.D., head of the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction, which authored the draft NTP brief.
Published in the Federal Register (http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-7831.pdf) , the announcement gives the public until May 23, 2008 to submit written comments for consideration at the June 11 – 12 meeting of the NTP Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC), which will conduct a peer review of the draft report. Written comments and inquiries should be addressed to the following official:
Barbara Shane, Ph.D.
Executive Secretary for the NTP BSC
NTP Office of Liaison, Policy and Review
NIEHS
P.O. Box MD A3-01
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Telephone: 919-541-4253
Fax: 919-541-0295
E-mail: shane@niehs.nih.gov
Individuals who wish to attend the meeting have until June 4 to pre-register at the NTP BSC Meeting Web site(http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/index.cfm?objectid=72017463-BDB7-CEBA-F76E87B902DB38B0) and, if they want to present oral comments, to submit a notice of intent.
Written comments submitted to the NTP will be posted on the NTP BSC Meeting Web site. The BSC meeting will be held at Radisson Hotel Research Triangle Park, 150 Park Drive, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The proceedings will be videobroadcast live through the NIEHS Live Video Web site(http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/video/live/), where interested viewers can test connections prior to the broadcast.
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