Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 121 / Monday, June 23, 2008 / Notices 35395 specific injury research that focuses on originally published in the Federal DATES: Written comments concerning prevention and control. Register in 1999 (64 FR 14086), ‘‘Notice the change in the volume of liquid in Matters to be Discussed: The meeting will Regarding Requirement for Annual the pH determination and the addition include the review, discussion, and Submission of the Quantity of Nicotine of four commercial smokeless tobacco evaluation of individual research grant and Contained in Smokeless Tobacco product categories must be received on cooperative agreement applications submitted in response to Fiscal Year 2008 Products Manufactured, Imported, or or before July 23, 2008. Requests for Applications related to the Packaged in the United States,’’ and ADDRESSES: Comments should be following individual research announcement: revised in the Federal Register on marked ‘‘Comments on Revised Protocol ‘‘Elimination of Health Disparities Through March 14, 2008 (73 FR 13903), for Analysis of Nicotine’’ and mailed to Translation Research (R18), Request for implements the requirement of the the Centers for Disease Control and Application (RFA) CD08–001 for the National Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Prevention, National Center for Chronic Center for Environmental Health Health Education Act (CSTHEA) of 1986 Disease Prevention and Health Applications.’’ (15 U.S.C. 4401 et seq., Pub. L. 99–252) Promotion, Office on Smoking and Agenda items are subject to change as that each entity manufacturing, priorities dictate. Health, Attention: Matthew McKenna, Contact Person for More Information: Jane packaging, or importing smokeless M.D., Director, 4770 Buford Highway Suen, PhD, M.S., Executive Secretary, NCIPC tobacco products shall annually provide NE., MS K–50, Atlanta, Georgia 30341– IRG, CDC, 4770 Buford Highway, NE., M/S the Secretary of Health and Human 3724. Comments may be e-mailed to: F–62, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, telephone 770– Services (HHS) with a specification of [email protected]. 488–4281. the quantity of nicotine contained in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Director, Management Analysis and each smokeless tobacco product. CDC is Matthew McKenna, M.D. Director, Services Office has been delegated the re-publishing the notice published in Office on Smoking and Health, authority to sign Federal Register notices the Federal Register on March 14, 2008 Telephone: (770) 488–5701. pertaining to announcements of meetings and (73 FR 13903) concerning the revision of other committee management activities for the protocol for analysis of nicotine in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Several both CDC and the Agency for Toxic smokeless tobacco product categories Substances and Disease Registry. smokeless tobacco products (hereinafter referred to as ‘‘Protocol’’) to (1) make a have entered the U.S. smokeless tobacco Dated: June 16, 2008. technical change to correct the date market since the implementation of the Elaine L. Baker, when the first report of information protocol in 1999 including snus, low Director, Management Analysis and Services under the revised Protocol is due; (2) moisture snuff sold in portion pouches, Office, Centers for Disease Control and solicit public comments concerning a and smokeless tobacco sold in a Prevention. change in the Protocol that increased compressed, pellet form. Some of the [FR Doc. E8–14158 Filed 6–20–08; 8:45 am] the volume of water in the pH new smokeless tobacco product BILLING CODE 4163–18–P determination from 10 mL to 20 mL, categories differ physically from and (3) solicit public comments previous smokeless tobacco categories. concerning the addition of the following After evaluating information that has DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND commercial smokeless tobacco product recently come to the attention of the HUMAN SERVICES categories: Dry snuff portion packs, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Centers for Disease Control and snus, snus portion packs, and pellet or compressed. Health (OSH) regarding low moisture Prevention smokeless tobacco products packaged in The Protocol as published in the portion pouches, OSH conducted an Notice Regarding Revisions to the Federal Register on March 14, 2008 (73 independent comparison of pH Laboratory Protocol To Measure the FR 13903), remains in effect with the measurements in a variety of low and Quantity of Nicotine Contained in technical correction to the date high moisture smokeless tobacco Smokeless Tobacco Products described below. products. The results of this Manufactured, Imported, or Packaged Technical change: The language in comparison, presented in Table 1, in the United States the March 14, 2008 notice stated that indicate that there is an acceptable (less AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and ‘‘The first report of information is due than 2%) level of change in pH values Prevention (CDC), Department of Health June 30, 2008, with subsequent when measurements are taken with 20 and Human Services. submissions due by March 31 of each mL deionized, distilled water ACTION: Notice and request for public year.’’ The first report date of (Condition B) compared to 10 mL of comment. information should be 2009 so that the deionized, distilled water (Condition A). sentence correctly reads: ‘‘The first Increasing the volume of water in the SUMMARY: The uniform protocol for the report of information is due June 30, mixture ensures that the matrix is analysis of nicotine, total moisture, and 2009, with subsequent submissions due sufficiently fluid to facilitate ease of pH in smokeless tobacco products, by March 31 of each year.’’ measure. VerDate Aug<31>2005 01:51 Jun 21, 2008 Jkt 214001 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\23JNN1.SGM 23JNN1 mmaher on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES 35396 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 121 / Monday, June 23, 2008 / Notices TABLE 1.—SUMMARY OF PH LEVELS FOUND IN SEVEN TYPES OF SMOKELESS TOBACCO PRODUCTS: PLUG; LOOSE LEAF OR SCRAP; TWIST; DRY SNUFF—LOW MOISTURE/NO POUCH; DRY SNUFF—LOW MOISTURE/POUCH; SNUS; AND MOIST SNUFF pH a Condition B Category Smokeless Tobacco Product Condition A 10 mL b 20 mL b pH % Change Change Mean c SD d Mean c SD d Plug ...................... Days O Work Chew ........................... 5.06 ± 0.02 5.11 ± 0.03 0.048 0.95 Conwood Company’s Sun Cured ...... 5.12 ± 0.02 5.19 ± 0.02 0.067 1.30 Levi Garrett Plug Chew ..................... 5.83 ± 0.02 5.91 ± 0.03 0.074 1.26 Taylor’s Pride Plug Chew .................. 5.92 ± 0.03 5.97 ± 0.03 0.052 0.89 Loose Leaf ........... Beech-Nut Chew ............................... 5.56 ± 0.01 5.62 ± 0.01 0.062 1.11 Redman Chew ................................... 5.93 ± 0.01 5.99 ± 0.04 0.067 1.12 Twist ..................... Cumberland ....................................... 5.68 ± 0.01 5.79 ± 0.02 0.107 1.88 Dry Snuff/No Tube Rose Sweet Scotch Snuff ........ 5.64 ± 0.00 5.69 ± 0.02 0.051 0.90 Pouch. RailRoad Mills Sweet Scotch Snuff ... 5.91 ± 0.02 6.02 ± 0.00 0.115 1.95 Dry Snuff/Pouch ... Taboka ............................................... 6.44 ± 0.01 6.52 ± 0.00 0.081 1.26 Skoal Dry Cinnamon ......................... 6.78 ± 0.00 6.83 ± 0.01 0.056 0.83 Snus ..................... Camel Snus Original ......................... 7.43 ± 0.00 7.44 ± 0.00 0.010 0.13 Moist Snuff ........... Renegades Wintergreen .................... 6.45 ± 0.03 6.53 ± 0.03 0.079 1.22 Copenhagen Regular ........................ 7.61 ± 0.02 7.52 ± 0.01 ¥0.090 ¥1.18 Kodiak Ice Long Cut Regular ............ 8.13 ± 0.04 8.13 ± 0.01 0.001 0.01 a The standard protocol published in the FEDERAL REGISTER to measure pH in smokeless tobacco products is as follows: 10 mL of deionized distilled water is added to 2.00 grams of smokeless tobacco product measuring pH at 5, 15, 30 and 60 minute intervals. Recently introduced low moisture dry snuff smokeless tobacco products packed in pouches had a thick paste-like consistency when prepared in 10 mL of deionized dis- tilled water. When 2.00 grams e of low moisture dry snuff smokeless tobacco products packed in pouches were prepared in 20 mL of deionized distilled water, the sample remains suspended in liquid and is well mixed. b n = 1. c Average pH from four measured intervals. d Standard Deviation. e Accurately weighed: 2.000 ± .0005 grams. OSH has determined that these Dated: June 13, 2008. C. Instrumentation revisions will improve the applicability James D. Seligman, 1. Robot Coupe Model RSI 2V of the protocol and provide guidance to Chief Information Officer, Centers for Disease Scientific Batch Processor. reporting entities and other interested Control and Prevention. 2. Capillary gas chromatograph, parties for testing of all currently Revised Protocol for Analysis of Hewlett Packard, Model 6890, with marketed categories of smokeless Nicotine, Total Moisture, and pH in split/splitless injector capability, flame tobacco. The change in the volume of Smokeless Tobacco Products ionization detector, and a capillary liquid in the pH determination column (Hewlett Packard HP–5, 12 facilitates the ease of measure of I. Requirements Crosslinked 5% PH ME Siloxane, 30 m smokeless tobacco pH for all currently A. Reagents 3 length × 0.32 mm ID, film thickness 0.25 marketed smokeless tobacco categories or 0.52 µm). 1. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), 2N. (i.e., plug, twist, moist snuff, dry snuff, 3. Orion Model EA 940 pH meter snus, loose leaf, chew, moist snuff in 2. Methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE). equipped with Orion 8103 Ross portion pouches, smokeless tobacco 3. (-) -Nicotine (Fluka 72290) >99% combination pH electrode. 45 compressed into a pellet, and dry snuff purity. D. Additional Equipment in portion pouches). 4. Quinoline (Aldrich). Forced-air oven, Fisher Isotemp, 5. Standard pH buffers; 4.01, 7.00, and Collection of Information regulated to 99 ± 1.0 °C. Suggested 10.00. dimensions: 18 × 18 × 20 inches.