[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 181 (Monday, September 20, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50817-50818]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24368]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
[INFO-99-38]


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 Agency for Toxic Substances and 
Disease Registry (ATSDR) 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 
ATSDR 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 Nancy Cheal, Ph.D., 
ATSDR Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D24, Atlanta, GA 
30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this 
notice.

Proposed Project

    Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds and Childhood Leukemia 
Incidence at MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina--Extension--Agency for 
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). There is limited 
evidence that in utero exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) 
such as trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in drinking 
water may be strongly associated with childhood leukemia (CL). In 1982, 
VOC contamination was identified in certain groundwater supply wells 
which supplied drinking water to housing units at U.S. Marine Corps 
Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. In a previous health 
study of approximately 6,000 infants exposed in utero to this 
contaminated water and 6,000 unexposed births, it was shown that 
gestational PCE exposure was related to lower birth weights for certain 
subgroups. The purpose of the proposed nested case-control study is to 
investigate the potential relationship between exposure to VOCs in 
drinking water and incidence of CL at Camp Lejeune. A secondary 
objective of the proposed study is to investigate the potential 
relationship between VOCs in drinking water and birth defects in this 
population.
    During this phase of the proposed study, an attempt will be made to 
locate as many of the children born to base residents between 1968 and 
1985 as well as offspring from pregnancies that occurred during this 
time period but were not delivered at Camp Lejeune. A brief screening 
questionnaire will be interviewer-administered to identify potential 
cancer and birth defect cases. Some of the data to be collected by the 
questionnaire includes: confirmation of the name(s) of children and 
date(s) of birth; dates and location of residence on base during the 
pregnancy and/or at the time of delivery; current vital status of each 
child; the determination of diagnosis with cancer or birth defects 
before age 20. As a result of delays in obtaining data necessary to 
trace potential respondents, a renewal for this project has been 
requested.
    It is necessary to identify each respondent in order to assess 
place of residence at Camp Lejeune as a measure of possible VOC 
exposure as well as to determine possible case status, i.e. reported 
diagnosis of childhood cancer or birth defect. This information will be 
used during the next study phase to identify potential cases and 
controls for the proposed nested case-control study.
    With help from the U. S. Navy and U. S. Marine Corps sources, we 
will obtain current address information and attempt to contact 
respondents directly. For respondents with unknown current addresses, 
tracing efforts will include advertising in the general media as well 
as in publications directed toward Marine Corps and Navy personnel. 
Once the respondent is located, the questionnaire will be administered 
by trained interviewers over the telephone.
    Respondents will be one of the following: (1) a parent who gave 
birth or was pregnant while residing at MCB Camp Lejeune between 1968 
and 1985; (2) a parent who was pregnant while residing at MCB Camp 
Lejeune between 1968 and 1985 but gave birth elsewhere; or (3) an 
offspring of said parents. The number of births that occurred at MCB 
Camp Lejeune during this period is approximately 12,000. It has been 
estimated that approximately one-third of women who seek prenatal care 
while residing at Camp Lejeune are relocated before delivery. 
Therefore, attempts will be made to contact and interview up to an 
additional 4,000 respondents. Of the 16,000 total possible respondents, 
a conservative estimate of the number that will be located and 
subsequently interviewed is 13,000 (about 80%).
    The hourly burden has been modified since the first submittal. This 
was a result of pretesting of the data collection instrument. It was 
found that the average completion time per survey was closer to 15 
minutes as opposed to the original estimate of 9 minutes.

[[Page 50818]]



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                                                                     Number of    Avg. burden of
               Type of respondents                   Number of      responses/     response  (In   Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent         hrs.)         (In hrs.)
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Parent/Child born at Camp Lejeune; 1968-1985....           9,650               1            0.25        2,412.50
Pregnancy at Camp Lejeune, delivery else-where;            3,350               1            0.25          837.50
 1968-1985......................................
      Total.....................................  ..............  ..............  ..............        3,250.00
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    Dated: September 14, 1999.
Nancy Cheal,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 99-24368 Filed 9-17-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-70-P