Federal Register, Volume 62 Issue 23 (Tuesday, February 4, 1997)

[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 4, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5233-5235]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-2681]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[INFO-97-02]

Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and
Recommendations

In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects.
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call the CDC Reports
Clearance Officer on (404) 639-7090.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents,
including through the use of automated collection techniques for other
forms of information technology. Send comments to Wilma Johnson, CDC
Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D24, Atlanta, GA
30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this
notice.

Proposed Projects

1. Employee Vital Status Letter (0920-0035)--Extension--The
employee vital status letter is an update of a letter originally
approved by OMB in 1977 and last approved in 1994. The vital status
letter is used for a type of study known as ``retrospective
mortality.'' The retrospective mortality study involves the
identification of a study population of present and former workers who
were exposed to a toxic substance in the workplace that is suspected of
causing a long term adverse health effect to the exposed workers. The
adverse health effects may be identified by observing the cause of
specific mortality in the study population and comparing that to the
expected mortality. The study populations are identified through
employment records of past and present workers in given industries
where the suspected toxins are found. In order to identify these
deaths, it is necessary to determine the vital status (i.e., whether
the individual is alive or deceased) of all members of the study
population as of a given cut-off date and then obtain the medical
certification of cause of death on all deceased members. This letter is
sent to study cohort members as a last resort. If the vital status of
an individual cannot be determined from a number of available data
sources (such as the National Death Index and the Social Security
Administration), the letter is sent to determine if the respondent is
deceased or alive--if deceased, the data and place of death is
requested from next of kin. The total cost to respondents for the three
year period is $1,890.

[[Page 5234]]

2. Airways Disease in Miners--(0920-0349)--Extension--A
relationship between coal mining exposure and lung function loss has
been demonstrated. Both smoking and coal mine dust exposure are
associated with clinically important respiratory dysfunction. Their
separate contributions to obstructive airway disease in coal miners
appear to be additive. However, much of the apparent variation in the
health risks of coal mine dust exposure remains unexplained. Miners
exposed to similar levels of coal mine dust demonstrate large
variations in lung function loss. Intrinsic susceptibility to the dust
or some environmental factor not yet identified must be sought to
explain why some individuals suffer severe lung damage and others
experience stable or age related changes in lung function in responses
to inhalation of respirable dust.
The spectrum of respiratory disease in coal miners is certainly
broad. Pneumoconiosis is widely accepted as specific to mine dust
exposure. It has been observed that emphysema is more common and severe
in coal miners than non-miners. Symptoms of chronic bronchitis are
common in miners and the risk of their development has been related to
exposure to the mine environment. Over 50% of non-smoking coal miners
with identifiable airflow obstruction may have asthma. Questions that
remain include: What are the predictable factors which relate
variations in airflow obstruction in miners to measured respirable coal
mine dust exposure? What are the specific processes responsible for
lung function losses in miners?
The goals of this investigation are to: 1) Improve our
understanding of the processes and mechanisms involved in the
development of pulmonary diseases and accelerated lung function losses
in underground coal miners and other dust exposed workers, and to
further define the consequences of inhalation of coal mine and other
dusts; and 2) Identify potential risk factors in the development of
excessive respiratory function loss as a basis for interventions to
reduce morbidity and mortality associated with respirable dust in the
work place.
The data collected in this study will be used to provide a basis
for improving the understanding of pulmonary disease processes in dust
exposed workers, and as a basis for intervention strategies to reduce
morbidity in the coal mining and possibly other industries.
The total cost to respondents is $0.00.

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No. of Avg. burden/ Total
Respondents No of responses/ response (in burden (in
respondents respondent hrs.) hrs.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Physicians................................................. 40 1 0.17 7
Volunteers................................................. 36 1 7.0 252
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Total.................................................. ........... ........... ............ 259
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3. Former Waste-To-Energy Facility, Columbus, Ohio: Dioxin and
Cadmium Exposure Study--New--The Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry is announcing the request for a three year OMB
approval for a new information collection entitled: ``Former Waste-To-
Energy Facility, Columbus, Ohio: Dioxin and Cadmium Exposure Study.''
The purpose of this proposed study is to determine whether blood serum
dioxin and urine cadmium levels of an adult population residing near
the Waste-To-Energy Facility are elevated compared to an adult
population not residing near the Waste-To-Energy Facility. A
scientifically valid exposure assessment is crucial in determining
whether the health of exposed populations may have been adversely
impacted.
The two study groups, target population and comparison population,
will be selected using environmental data, census data, systematic
sampling method, and eligibility criteria. The statistical analysis
will include the comparison of serum dioxin and urine cadmium average
concentration levels for target and comparison populations while
adjusting for factors that affect the concentration levels. This
study's average concentration will be compared to the levels of other
similar health studies. Other than their time, there will be no cost to
the respondents.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
No. of No. of burden/ Total
Respondents respondents respondents/ response burden (in
respondents (in hrs.) hrs.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Systematic Phone Census Survey............................. 2000 1 .10 200
Verify Participant Eligibility............................. 800 1 .15 120
Medical Questionnaire...................................... 440 1 .15 66
Specimen Collection........................................ 440 1 .25 110
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Total................................................ ........... ............ ........... 496
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[[Page 5235]]

3. Former Waste-To-Energy Facility, Columbus, Ohio: Dioxin and
Cadmium Exposure Study--New--The Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry is announcing the request for a three year OMB
approval for a new information collection entitled: ``Former Waste-To-
Energy Facility, Columbus, Ohio: Dioxin and Cadmium Exposure Study.''
The purpose of this proposed study is to determine whether blood serum
dioxin and urine cadmium levels of an adult population residing near
the Waste-To-Energy Facility are elevated compared to an adult
population not residing the Waste-To-Energy Facility. A scientifically
valid exposure assessment is crucial in determining whether the health
of exposed populations may have been adversely impacted.
The two study groups, target population and comparison population,
will be selected using environmental data, census data, systematic
sampling method, and eligibility criteria. The statistical analysis
will include the comparison of serum dioxin and urine cadmium average
concentration levels for target and comparison populations while
adjusting for factors that affect the concentration levels. This
study's average concentration will be compared to the levels of other
similar health studies. Other than their time, there will be no cost to
the respondents.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
No. of No. of burden/ Total
Respondents respondents responses/ responses burden (in
respondents (in hrs.) hrs.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Systematic Phone Census Survey.............................. 2000 1 .10 200.0
Verify Participant Eligibility.............................. 800 1 .15 120.0
Medical Questionnaire....................................... 440 1 .15 66.0
Specimen Collection......................................... 440 1 .25 110.0
---------------------------------------------------
Total................................................. ........... ........... ........... 496.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. Risk And Protective Factors of Intimate Partner Violence
Survey--New--The purpose of the project is to identify early warning
signs and protective factors in intimate violence prevention by
conducting a random-digit-dial national survey. Findings from a
preliminary focus group study reveal that: (1) There may exist a
pattern of early warning signs that women can use to avoid intimate
partner violence, (2) certain individual and societal characteristics
(which we call risk and protective factors), such as family history of
abuse or the support of friends or institutions, may increase or reduce
the risk of violence in women's lives, (3) these risk and protective
factors may influence women's ability to detect early warning signs for
physical violence perpetrated by an intimate partner, and (4) there may
be differences between African-American women and Caucasian women
regarding helping relationships and services utilized by abused women.
The survey will include a stratification methodology to include six
specific categories of women across the United States who are over 18
years of age. The six categories of women are African-American and
Caucasian women who: (1) have never been in a violent relationship, (2)
are currently in a violent relationship, and (3) have previously been
in a violent relationship, but have been living free of violence for at
least one year. The survey will gather data from approximately 1,800
women using an interview protocol which was developed and pilot tested
in conjunction with the focus group study and has been defined by
experts and CDC program staff. The total cost to respondents is
$1,979.84, which is based on a median wage of women over 16 in the
United States (includes non-working and part-time employed women) of
$3.99 per hour [source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1997]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No. of Avg. burden/ Total
Respondents No. of responses/ response (in burden (in
respondents respondent hrs.) hrs.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Never Abused in a Relationship............................. ........... ........... 10 ...........
African Am............................................. 300 1 .167 50
Caucasian.............................................. 300 1 .167 50
Currently in Abusive Relationship.......................... ........... ........... 20 ...........
African Am............................................. 300 1 .33 99
Caucasian.............................................. 300 1 .33 99
Formerly in Abusive Relationship........................... ........... ........... 20 ...........
African Am............................................. 300 1 .33 99
Caucasian.............................................. 300 1 .33 99
----------------------------------------------------
Total................................................ ........... ........... ............ 496
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Dated: January 29, 1997.
Wilma G. Johnson,
Acting Associate Director for Policy Planning And Evaluation, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 97-2681 Filed 2-3-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-M