[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 192 (Friday, October 3, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57442-57444]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-25132]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ORD-2003-0011, FRL-7568-1]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Longitudinal Field Measurement Study of Infant and 
Toddler's Aggregate Exposure to Pesticides and Persistent Pollutants, 
EPA ICR Number 2126.01, OMB Control Number 20XX-XXXX

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a 
proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB). This is a request for a new collection. 
Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is 
soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information 
collection as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before December 2, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number ORD-2003-
0011, to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by email to 
[email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Information Docket, Mail 
Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested persons may obtain a copy 
of this ICR without charge by contacting Barbara Blackwell, National 
Exposure Research Laboratory, MD-E-205-01, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 109 TW Alexander Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709; 
telephone number: (919) 541-2886; fax number: (919) 541-0239; email 
address: [email protected]. For technical information on the 
proposed study, contact the Co-Principal investigators: Nicolle S. 
Tulve, National Exposure Research Laboratory, MD-E-205-04, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 109 TW Alexander Dr., Research 
Triangle Park, NC 27709; (919) 541-1077; (919) 541-0905 (fax); 
[email protected] or Roy Fortmann, National Exposure Research 
Laboratory, MD-E-205-04, Environmental Protection Agency, 109 TW 
Alexander Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709; (919) 541-1021; (919) 
541-0905 (fax); [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this 
ICR under Docket ID number ORD-2003-0011, which is available for public 
viewing at the Office of Environmental Information Docket in the EPA 
Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., 
NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open 
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, 
and the telephone number for the Office of Environmental Information 
Docket is (202) 566-1752. An electronic version of the public docket is 
available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. 
Use EDOCKET to obtain a copy of the draft collection of information, 
submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the 
contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in the 
public

[[Page 57443]]

docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select 
``search,'' then key in the docket ID number identified above.
    Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA within 
60 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments, whether 
submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public 
viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the 
comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose 
public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a 
comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference 
to that material in the version of the comment that is placed in 
EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the copyrighted 
material, will be available in the public docket. Although identified 
as an item in the official docket, information claimed as CBI, or whose 
disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not included in the 
official public docket, and will not be available for public viewing in 
EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic docket, see EPA's 
Federal Register notice describing the electronic docket at 67 FR 38102 
(May 31, 2002), or go to www.epa.gov./edocket.
    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
persons living in Duval County, Florida.
    Title: Longitudinal Field Measurement Study of Infant and Toddler's 
Aggregate Exposure to Pesticides and Persistent Pollutants.
    Abstract: The U.S. EPA's Office of Research and Development's 
National Exposure Research Laboratory proposes to conduct a 2-year 
longitudinal field measurement study of young children's (aged 0 to 3 
years) potential exposures to current-use pesticides and selected 
phthalates, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and perfluorinated 
compounds that may be found in residential environments. The study will 
be conducted in Duval County, Jacksonville, Florida over a two-year 
period from 2004 to 2006. Sixty young children will be recruited into 
this study in two cohorts: (1) Infants recruited into the study soon 
after birth, and, (2) children recruited into the study at 
approximately 12 months of age. The study involves up to six monitoring 
events to each home during the 2-year study period during which 
environmental, personal, biological, and activity pattern data will be 
collected. Each monitoring event consists of 4 visits to each 
participant's home. Aggregate exposure estimates will be conducted for 
the current-use pesticides and selected phthalates in the study. The 
data collected on the polybrominated diphenyl ethers and the 
perfluorinated compounds will provide valuable information on 
concentrations of these compounds in residential environments, the 
potential magnitude for exposure, and the temporal and spatial 
variability of these chemicals in residences.
    The data collected in this study is very important to the EPA's 
Program Offices. The reasons for collecting this data are to better 
identify the exposure factors, routes, and pathways of exposure for 
these chemicals, thus improving the Agency's ability to regulate these 
chemicals, conduct meaningful risk assessments, and develop future 
studies. Responses to the survey are completely voluntary. Further 
details on the peer-reviewed study design and the complete set of 
questionnaires are available for public viewing in the on-line EDOCKET 
at http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
    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 in 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9.
    The EPA would like to solicit comments to:
    (i) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden 
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used;
    (iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    (iv) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    Burden Statement: The questionnaires for this study are listed in 
Table 1 with their associated hour burdens.

                     Table 1.--Listing of Questionnaires With Their Associated Hour Burdens
            [The total time burden is based on 60 people participating for the entire two-year study]
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                                                                                     Number of
                                                                                       times
                                                    Time burden      Number of     questionnaire    Total time
                  Questionnaire                      (minutes)      respondents    asked during       burden
                                                                                   study to each     (minutes)
                                                                                    participant
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Eligibility screening questionnaire.............              10             120               1            1200
Home pesticide inventory and use screening                    10              60               1             600
 questionnaire..................................
Participant and housing characteristics                       35              60               1            2100
 questionnaire..................................
Monitoring visit questionnaire..................              10              60               6            3600
Activity time line..............................              15              60              18           16200
Indirect ingestion assessment questionnaire.....              13              60               6            4680
Food diary and supplemental questionnaire.......              10              60               6            3600
Monthly pesticide purchase and use log..........               5              60              24            3600
Child care center pesticide use questionnaire...              10               6               5             300
Antimicrobial inventory log.....................              10              60               1             600
Antimicrobial use log...........................               1              60              24            1440
Vineland Adaptive Behavioral Scales.............              20              60               6            7200
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Potential participants will be screened and recruited into the 
study using the Eligibility screening questionnaire and the Home 
pesticide inventory and use screening questionnaire. These survey 
instruments will be administered

[[Page 57444]]

electronically by the field technicians. The remaining questionnaires 
listed in Table 1 are administered after each participant is enrolled 
into the study during the monitoring events. The Participant and 
housing characteristics questionnaire will require a one-time period of 
35 minutes to complete. The Monitoring visit questionnaire will be 
completed at the conclusion of each monitoring event and takes 10 
minutes to complete. The Activity time line will be completed by the 
participant for three days during the monitoring event (15 minutes to 
complete multiplied by 3 days of completion equals 45 minutes for the 
monitoring event per participant). The Indirect ingestion assessment 
questionnaire will be completed at the conclusion of each monitoring 
event. It will take 13 minutes to complete. The Food diary and 
supplemental questionnaire will be completed by the participant. The 
participant uses this questionnaire to record the foods that are 
collected for the duplicate diet. The Food diary and supplemental 
questionnaire will require 10 minutes to complete. The Monthly 
pesticide purchase and use log will be completed by the participant on 
a monthly basis. This log is used to record pesticide application and 
use events in the residence. It will take 5 minutes to complete this 
log during the month. The Child care center pesticide use questionnaire 
will be administered to child care center directors for those children 
who attend child care during the monitoring event. It is anticipated 
that less than 10% of the participants will attend day care, so this 
questionnaire will be used infrequently. However, if used, it is 
administered directly to the center director and takes 10 minutes to 
complete. The Antimicrobial inventory log is administered once during 
the study. It is completed by the field technician with the help of the 
participant and takes 10 minutes to complete. The Antimicrobial use log 
is completed each month by the participant. This log requires a check 
mark if the product was used that day. This log will require 
approximately 1 minute to complete. The Vineland Adaptive Behavioral 
Scales will be administered during each monitoring event. It will take 
20 minutes to complete. Over the course of each four-day monitoring 
event, the total time burden will be 149 minutes per participant. There 
are projected to be 60 participants enrolled into the study. The total 
participant time burden for each monitoring event will be 8940 minutes.
    There are no direct participant costs for this data collection. 
Participants will be reimbursed for the costs of electricity used and 
food collected. Compensation will be offered to defray the burden 
associated with participating in this study.
    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.

    Dated: September 24, 2003.
Jewel F. Morris,
Acting Director, National Exposure Research Laboratory.
[FR Doc. 03-25132 Filed 10-2-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P