[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 198 (Thursday, October 14, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55709-55710]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-26860]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6457-4]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Agricultural Health Study: Pesticide Exposure 
Study

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this document announces that the following Information 
Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Agricultural Health Study--
Pesticide Exposure Study, EPA ICR Number 1906.01. The ICR describes the 
nature of the information collection and its expected burden and cost; 
where appropriate, it includes the actual data collection instrument.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before November 15, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone at (202) 260-2740, by email at 
[email protected], or download a copy of the ICR off the Internet at 
http://www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA ICR No. 1906.01.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Agricultural Health Study--Pesticide Exposure Study, EPA ICR

[[Page 55710]]

Number 1906.01. This is a new collection.
    Abstract: The National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National 
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the EPA have 
agreed through a Memorandum of Understanding to perform a prospective 
epidemiological study of the risk of cancer and other diseases 
associated with usage and exposure to pesticides of some 90,000 
registered pesticide applicators and their spouses in the states of 
Iowa and North Carolina. The Agricultural Health Study (AHS) will 
evaluate whether those applicators with the greatest usage history and 
potential exposures to pesticides are at a greater risk of cancer or 
other diseases than those applicators with lowest usage history and 
reduced potential exposures to pesticides. Information collection 
requests prepared by NCI for survey data collection in the AHS 
epidemiological study have received OMB approval (current OMB #0925-
0406, expires 11/30/01).
    The U.S. EPA will support the AHS by performing an exposure 
measurement study for private pesticide applicators in the cohort. The 
exposure measurement study is the subject of the information collection 
request cited in this document. Exposure data are needed for assessing 
and refining methods for classifying applicator exposures using study 
questionnaire information, to measure the magnitude of applicator 
pesticide exposures, and to identify key exposure factors. Observations 
of applicator work practices will be compared to self-reported 
information from questionnaires to assess reporting reliability of 
current practices. In addition, EPA will measure spouse and child 
urinary pesticide biomarkers to help understand whether and to what 
extent agricultural application of pesticides leads to exposures for 
members of the applicator's family.
    Study respondents will be registered private pesticide applicators 
in the AHS prospective epidemiological cohort, their spouses, and up to 
two children selected from each home. A total of 160 applicators will 
be selected into the study. Approximately 24 of the applicators will be 
asked to participate in the exposure study in each of two years. 
Participation will be entirely voluntary. An applicator that agrees to 
participate in the exposure study will be retained even if their spouse 
and/or child decline to participate.
    Applicator exposures will be monitored around one pesticide 
application of a targeted pesticide. A sample of the pesticide 
formulation will be collected. Dermal exposure will be estimated by 
collection of dermal patch and hand-wipe samples. Urine samples will be 
collected before and following the application event to measure 
pesticide or metabolite concentrations and to allow estimation of the 
absorbed dose. A sample of house dust will be collected from the 
applicator's home. Spouses and one child in the age range of 3-18 years 
old will be asked to provide urine samples before and after the 
monitored application.
    Pesticide handling, mixing, loading, and application (HMLA) 
activities will be observed. A modified version of the NCI AHS Private 
Pesticide Applicator Followup Questionnaire (OMB #0925-0406) will be 
administered to the applicator immediately after the observed HMLA 
activity. A Biomarker Questionnaire will be administered to the 
applicator at the end of the monitoring period to collect data for 
interpreting the measurements and to provide additional information 
about applicator and farm family exposure to pesticides. The full AHS 
Private Pesticide Applicator Follow-up Questionnaire will be 
administered to the applicator several months after the observed 
application event.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA's 
regulations are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and 48 CFR Chapter 15. The 
Federal Register document required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting 
comments on this collection of information was published on 6/15/1999 
(64 FR 32042); no comments were received.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 4.1 
hours for pesticide applicators, 0.8 hours for spouses and children 
providing urine samples, and 0.25 hours for children only responding to 
a questionnaire. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial 
resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or 
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This 
includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, 
install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of 
collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and 
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; 
adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable 
instructions and requirements; train personnel to be able to respond to 
a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review 
the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the 
information.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: registered private pesticide 
applicators; parents/households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 152.
    Frequency of Response: One occasion (except for 24 participants 
repeated in second year).
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 349 hours.
    Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden (non-labor costs only): $0.
    Send comments on the Agency's need for this information, the 
accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods 
for minimizing respondent burden, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques to the following addresses. Please 
refer to EPA ICR No. 1906.01 in any correspondence.

Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of 
Policy, Regulatory Information Division (2137), 401 M Street, SW, 
Washington, DC 20460;

and

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW, 
Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: October 7, 1999.
Richard T. Westlund,
Acting Director, Regulatory Information Division.
[FR Doc. 99-26860 Filed 10-13-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P