The federal government today invited the public to nominate substances or mixtures to be evaluated for listing in the National Toxicology Program's Biennial Report on Carcinogens. The Report lists substances "known to be human carcinogens," and a much larger group "reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens."

The National Toxicology Program, headquartered at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C., made the "call for nominations for listing or delisting substances" in the Report in a notice in the Federal Register.

The Director of NIEHS and NTP, Kenneth Olden, Ph.D., said today, "We are extending our invitation to all workers, farmers, businessmen, consumers, and others, as well as to scientists and government officials, because it is important that we focus resources on the evaluation of substances that are important to the general public."

Nominations may be made by consumers, individual workers, unions, businesses or others -- including regulatory agencies -- and should include copies or references to relevant data that have already appeared in journals and other reports about the substances or mixtures carcinogenic potential and about the extent of the public's, workers', or other exposures, if known.

Nominations should be sent to the National Toxicology Program, Biennial Report on Carcinogens, Mail Drop WC-05, P.O. Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709.

The National Toxicology Program coordinates toxicology studies within the Department of Health and Human Services, at NIEHS, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. The NTP executive committee is made up of federal health and regulatory agencies.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is one of 18 institutes of the National Institutes of Health, the only one of the Institutes not located in Bethesda, Maryland. NIEHS and NTP are headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C., between Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.