National Toxicology Program

Pursuant to Public Law 92-463, notice is hereby given of a meeting of the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Board of Scientific Counselors, U.S. Public Health Service, in the Rodbell Auditorium, Building 101, South Campus, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), 111 Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, on May 20, 1999.

The meeting will be open to the public from 8:45 a.m. to adjournment with attendance limited only by space available. The primary agenda topic will be an initial evaluation and review of the direction and priorities of the recently established NTP Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR). There will be a presentation on the background, purpose, status, and current activities of the Center. In addition, there will be presentations by representatives of regulatory agencies on the value of the Center to public health issues and health regulatory issues, on the evaluative process employed by the Center, on the initial chemicals considered and selected for evaluation, and there will be a demonstration of the Center’s website. In the afternoon, there will be a discussion of the process for development of a Year 2000 White Paper on Toxicology and the NTP. Additionally, there will be updates presented on the NIEHS Investigations of Causes for Amphibian Malformations, on the Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods, and on recent or upcoming activities of the Report on Carcinogens and Technical Reports Review Subcommittees. Finally, the Board will review concept proposals on (1) rodent disease diagnostic laboratories, and (2) genetic monitoring of inbred rodents.

To facilitate planning for the meeting, persons interested in providing formal written or oral input on the directions, priorities, and operations of the NTP Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction must notify the Executive Secretary, Dr. Larry G. Hart, P.O. Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 (telephone 919/541-3971; FAX 919/541-0295; or email at hart@niehs.nih.gov). Written comments for consideration by the Board and the NTP must be received by May 12, 1999. Individuals wanting to make a formal presentation during the Board’s public comment session must notify the Executive Secretary by no later than May 17, 1999, and, if possible, provide a written copy in advance of the meeting, so copies can be made for distribution to Board members, staff, and the public. Formal presentations should be limited to no more than five minutes. Background information on the Center and Center operations were described in a Federal Register notice (pg. 68782, vol. 63, No. 239). Copies of the notice and additional information on the Center are available on the NTP website (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp) or the CHRHR website (http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov). Copies of this background information may be requested from Dr. Larry Hart at the address and phone number listed above.

The Executive Secretary will furnish agenda and a roster of Board members and ad hoc expert reviewers prior to the meeting. Summary minutes subsequent to the meeting will be available upon request to Central Data Management, MD E1-02, P.O. Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 (919/541-3419), FAX (919/541-3687), email: CDM@niehs.nih.gov.

Dated: April 2, 1999

____________________
Samuel H. Wilson, M.D.
Deputy Director
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

[Billing Code 4140-01-P]