[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 3, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10034-10035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-4704]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ORD-2003-0011; FRL-7630-5]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Longitudinal Study of Young 
Children's Exposures in Their Homes to Selected Pesticides, Phthalates, 
Brominated Flame Retardants, and Perfluorinated Chemicals (A Children's 
Environmental Exposure Research Study--CHEERS), EPA ICR Number 2126.01

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 an Information Collection 
Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval. This is a request for a new collection. 
This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its 
estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before April 2, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number ORD-2003-
0011, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail 
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, and (2) 
OMB at: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th 
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.

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 submitted the following ICR to OMB 
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 
1320.12. On October 3, 2003 (68 FR 57442), EPA sought comments on this 
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received numerous requests for the 
study design, and sent the information via email. There was one formal 
public comment submitted to the docket. EPA addressed and submitted the 
responses to the comment using the edocket procedures.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. 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 submit 
or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of 
the public docket, and to access those documents in the public 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 and OMB 
within 30 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 http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
    Title: Longitudinal Study of Young Children's Exposures in their 
Homes to Selected Pesticides, Phthalates, Brominated Flame Retardants, 
and Perfluorinated Chemicals (A Children's Environmental Exposure 
Research Study--CHEERS)
    Abstract: The U.S. EPA's Office of Research and Development's 
National Exposure Research Laboratory proposes to conduct a two-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 two-year study period during which 
environmental, personal, biological, and activity pattern data will be 
collected. Each monitoring event consists of four 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

[[Page 10035]]

improving the Agency's ability to regulate these chemicals, conduct 
meaningful risk assessments, and develop future studies. Responses to 
the survey are completely voluntary.
    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 and are identified on 
the form and/or instrument, if applicable.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 
approximately 6.5 hours per respondent. 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: Residents of Duval County, 
Jacksonville, Florida.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 60.
    Frequency of Response: Quarterly.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 390.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost: $3,913.

    Dated: February 24, 2004.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 04-4704 Filed 3-2-04; 8:45 am]
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