[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 23 (Wednesday, February 4, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5806-5807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-2677]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[INFO-98-11]


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. A Longitudinal Study of Lead Poisoning from the Maternal Infant 
Relationship Through Early Childhood--New--
    The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is 
mandated pursuant to the 1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response 
Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), and its 1986 Amendments, The 
Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), to prevent or 
mitigate adverse human health effects and diminished quality of life 
resulting from exposure to hazardous substances in the environment. 
Lead exposure has been associated with negative pregnancy outcomes in 
humans, including low birth weight, spontaneous abortion, congenital 
malformation, and various neurological effects in newborns and young 
children. The level of lead considered to be toxic has been lowered 
over the years by major research groups, organizations, and agencies. 
While lead has been shown to affect all organs, the brain or nervous 
system seems to be the most sensitive to lead toxicity, especially in 
young children. Blood lead levels as low as 10 g/dL have been 
shown to result in delayed cognitive development, reduced IQ scores, 
and impaired hearing.
    This study, originally approved by OMB in 1995, examines the long-
term effects of low and marginal toxic blood lead levels in neonates 
and preschool African-American children in the Atlanta area. This study 
is divided into two components, (i) Prevalence of lead exposure in 
children of preschool age and (ii) longitudinal health effects of low 
and marginal lead exposure. These studies are conducted concurrently.
    The primary focus of the prevalence study is the evaluation of the 
relationship between socio-economic status, elemental blood lead levels 
within the home environment, and blood lead levels of preschool aged 
children. The objective of the longitudinal study is the evaluation of 
the relationship between lead levels found in maternal and cord blood 
and adverse health effects in the infant, including deficits in 
behavioral, cognitive and physical development. To correlate cognitive 
and behavioral development with varying blood lead levels, each newborn 
is to undergo a series of psychometric testing at birth, then again at 
6 months, 1, and 2 years of age. Evaluations of physician development 
will be conducted by reviewing the medical records of each newborn 
within the first year after birth.
    This request is for a 3-year extension of the current OMB approval; 
however we are requesting a new OMB authority (and number) as the old 
number (0923-0015) will now apply only to the Substance Specific 
Applied Research Program (AMHPS) [King/Drew Lead Study in-Person 
Interview, Lead and Hypertension Screening Questionnaire/Risk Factor 
Questionnaire]. The requests for OMB approval for the two studies has 
been separated, with the King/Drew investigation retaining the old OMB 
number (0923-0015).

[[Page 5807]]



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                                                                           No. of     Avg. burden/              
               Study                     Respondents          No. of     responses/   response (in  Total burden
                                                           respondents   respondent       hrs.)       (in hrs.) 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prevalence........................  Households...........          100           1           0.75          75   
                                    Daycare Centers......           10           1           0.25           2.5 
Longitudinal......................  Pregnant Women.......          300           3.5         0.167        175.35
                                    Infants..............          300           7           0.524      1,100.40
                                   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.........................  .....................  ...........  ............  ............      1,353.25
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    2. Weekly and Annual Morbidity and Mortality Reports--In 1878 
Congress authorized the U.S. Marine Hospital Service (later re-named 
the U.S. Public Health Service) to collect morbidity reports on 
cholera, smallpox, plague, and yellow fever from U.S. consuls overseas; 
this information was to be used for instituting quarantine measures to 
prevent the introduction and spread of these diseases in the United 
States. In 1879, a specific Congressional appropriation was made for 
the collection and publication of reports of these notifiable diseases. 
The authority for weekly reporting and publication was expanded by 
Congress in 1893 to include data from state and municipal authorities 
throughout the U.S. To increase the uniformity of the data, Congress 
enacted a law in 1902 directing the Surgeon General of the Public 
Health Service to provide forms for the collection and compilation of 
data and for the publication of reports at the national level.
    In 1961, responsibility for the collection of data on nationally 
notifiable diseases and deaths in 121 U.S. cities was transferred from 
the National Office of Vital Statistics to CDC. For 37 years the MMWR 
has consistently served as CDC's main communication mode for disease 
outbreaks and trends in health and health behavior. In collaboration 
with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), CDC 
has demonstrated the efficiency and effectiveness of computer 
transmission of data. The data collected electronically for publication 
in the MMWR provides information which CDC and State epidemiologists 
use to detail and more effectively interrupt outbreaks. Reporting also 
provides the timely information needed to measure and demonstrate the 
impact of changed immunization laws or a new therapeutic measure. Users 
of data include, but are not limited to, congressional offices, state 
and local health agencies, health care providers, and other health 
related groups.
    The dissemination of public health information is accomplished 
through the MMWR series of publications. The publications consist of 
the MMWR, the CDC Surveillance Summaries, the Recommendations and 
Reports, and the Annual Summary of Notifiable Diseases. The total cost 
to respondents is estimated to be $48,100.

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                                                                      No. of       Avg. burden/                 
                   Respondents                         No.of        responses/     response (in    Total burden 
                                                    respondents     respondent         hrs.)         (in hrs.)  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State and local health departments..............             178              52             .45           4,165
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           4,165
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    Dated: January 29, 1998.
Wilma G. Johnson,
Acting Associate Director for Policy Planning And Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 98-2677 Filed 2-3-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P