The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), under the Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009, announced in the Federal Register its final priority data needs for six priority hazardous substances as part of the continuing development and implementation of the ATSDR Substance-Specific Applied Research Program (SSARP).

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), under the Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009, announced in the Federal Register its final priority data needs for six priority hazardous substances as part of the continuing development and implementation of the ATSDR Substance-Specific Applied Research Program (SSARP).

The notice called on U.S. industry for voluntary research proposals.

The substances are as follows:

Substance-Specific Priority Data Needs for Six Priority Hazardous Substances

Aluminum
--Exposure levels in humans living near hazardous waste sites.
--Exposure levels in children.
--Exposure levels for adults and children who do not live near hazardous waste sites (as controls).
--Dose-response data for acute-duration \1\oral exposure.

Cresol
--Exposure levels in humans living near hazardous waste sites.
--Exposure levels in children.
--Dose-response data for acute-duration \1\oral exposure.

Diazinon
--Developmental toxicity data for oral exposure.

Dichloropropenes
--Dose-response data for acute-duration \1\inhalation exposure.
--Immunotoxicity battery via inhalation exposure.

Guthion
--Studies of developmental toxicity via oral exposure, with emphasis on  neurodevelopmental toxicity.

Phenol
--Exposure levels in humans living near hazardous waste sites.
--Exposure levels in children.

Research to address these priority data needs will help to determine the types or levels of exposure that may present significant risks of adverse health effects in people exposed to the six hazardous substances, HHS said in the notice. Private-sector organizations may volunteer to conduct research to address specific priority data needs in this notice by submitting a letter of intent to ATSDR.

The priority data needs announced in this notice reflect the opinion of ATSDR, in consultation with other federal programs, about the research needed pursuant to ATSDR's authority under CERCLA, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986. The needs identified here do not represent the priority data needs for any other agency or program.

ATSDR worked with other federal programs to determine common substance-specific data needs and mechanisms to implement research that may include authorities under TSCA and FIFRA, private-sector voluntarism, or the direct use of CERCLA funds.

(73 FR 12178, March 6, 2008). ATSDR initially announced these priority data needs in the Federal Register on Dec. 28, 2007 (72 FR 73828), and the public had 90 days to comment on them. The EPA, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)/National Toxicology Program (NTP), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration/National Center for Toxicological Research (FDA/NCTR) reviewed the six priority data needs and accompanying documents.

The substance-specific priority data needs were based on and determined from information in corresponding ATSDR toxicological profiles. Background technical information and justification for the priority data needs in this notice are in the priority data needs documents, available on ATSDR's website at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pdns/.