Meetings: Selenium aquatic toxicity and bioaccumulation; peer consultation workshop,

[Federal Register: May 12, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 91)]

[Notices]

[Page 26186-26187]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr12my98-85]

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FR-6012-9 ]

Notice of Peer Consultation Workshop on Selenium Aquatic Toxicity and Bioaccumulation

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: This document announces a Peer Consultation Workshop on Selenium Aquatic Toxicity and Bioaccumulation which is being sponsored by the U.S. EPA, Office of Water, Office of Science and Technology. This peer consultation workshop is being conducted to assess the state of the science underlying various technical issues related to EPA's review and revision of its freshwater, chronic aquatic life criterion for selenium. During the workshop, a panel of independent scientific experts external to the Agency will be responding to a technical charge developed by the Agency for addressing the various technical issues. The product of this workshop will be a report that will contain a summary of workshop discussions, the responses of the experts to the technical charge, and their supporting justification. EPA intends to consider the experts' responses to the technical charge during its forthcoming review and revision of the freshwater chronic aquatic life criterion for selenium.

DATES: This workshop will be held on Wednesday, May 27, 1998 through Thursday, May 28, 1998. It will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday and will conclude on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. (approximate time).

ADDRESSES: The Peer Consultation Workshop on Selenium Aquatic Toxicity and Bioaccumulation will be held at the Radisson Barcelo Hotel, Washington, DC, at 2121 P Street, NW, Washington, DC, Telephone: 202- 293-3100.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Sappington, Health and Ecological Criteria Division (4304), U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20460. Telephone: 202-260-9898, Fax 202-260-1036, or by E-mail at sappington.keith@epamail.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the Peer Consultation Workshop on Selenium Aquatic Toxicity and Bioaccumulation is to review and discuss the scientific database regarding several technical issues confronting EPA's review of its freshwater chronic aquatic life criterion for selenium. Some of these technical issues include whether or not reliable residue-based toxicological effect levels can be established in aquatic organisms, identifying which forms of selenium are most toxicologically-relevant in tissues and other media, and quantifying the effect that various environmental factors might have on the extent and rates of selenium bioaccumulation in aquatic life. The invited experts will have expertise in areas including selenium biogeochemistry, aquatic toxicology, pharmacology, bioaccumulation, environmental and analytical chemistry, modeling, and ecotoxicology in aquatic ecosystems. In responding to the technical charge, these experts will consider the available scientific literature on selenium effects and bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms in the context of setting toxicological effect levels of selenium on aquatic life in freshwater ecosystems. The product of this workshop will be a technical

[[Page 26187]]

report that contains the experts' responses to the technical charge, clear statements of the supporting rationale for conclusions made, and an assessment of the level of confidence (or conversely, the degree of uncertainty) associated with each response. EPA intends to consider the experts' responses to the technical charge in its subsequent review and revision of the freshwater, chronic aquatic life criterion for selenium.

To attend the Peer Consultation Workshop on Selenium Aquatic Toxicity and Bioaccumulation as an observer, call the ERG Conference Registration Line at telephone number, 781-674-7374. You may also register online at www.erg.com. There is no charge for attending this workshop as an observer, but seats are limited, so register as soon as possible. Each registrant will receive a confirmation letter, a preliminary agenda, and a logistical fact sheet. Any observer wishing to make comments or address issues must sign up with ERG prior to the workshop. Each will be assigned a time slot on a first-come, first- served basis. Individual comments should be limited to two to three minutes.

Dated: May 1, 1998. Tudor T. Davies, Director, Office of Science and Technology.

[FR Doc. 98-12581Filed5-11-98; 8:45 am]

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