[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 19 (Monday, January 31, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4852-4853]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1713]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-05AZ]


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 404-371-5976 or 
send comments to Seleda Perryman, CDC Assistant Reports Clearance 
Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an email 
to [email protected].
    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

[[Page 4853]]

or other forms of information technology. Written comments should be 
received within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    A Library Of Participant Questions To Be Used In Exposure 
Investigation Questionnaires--New--The Agency for Toxic Substances and 
Disease Registry (ATSDR).
    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 the exposure to hazardous substances in the 
environment. Exposure Investigations are an approach developed by ATSDR 
that employs targeted biologic and environmental sampling to assist 
ATSDR to better characterize past, current, and possible future human 
exposures to hazardous substances in the environment. The purpose of 
Exposure Investigations is to determine in a timely manner whether 
community residents are being exposed to chemical contaminants at 
levels that might affect their health. Exposure Investigations are 
usually requested by officials of a state health agency, county health 
departments, the Environmental Protection Agency, the general public, 
and ATSDR staff.
    During an Exposure Investigation ATSDR conducts biomarker testing 
or environmental testing or both. Biomarkers may be sampled in urine, 
blood, or hair. Environmental samples (e.g., air, water, soil, or food) 
can be taken from the environment where people live, spend leisure 
time, or other places they might come into contact with contaminants 
under investigation. In addition to the suspected environmental 
exposure source being investigated, additional exposure to the 
contaminant may come from other sources encountered in daily activities 
such as jobs, hobbies, household products, lifestyle, medicines, and 
foods.
    To assist in interpreting the sampling results, a survey 
questionnaire appropriate to the specific contaminant will be 
administered to participants. Only a limited number of questions 
pertinent to exposure routes of the contaminant of concern will be 
administered in an investigation. Questions will be asked about the 
presence or absence of a specific exposure and an estimate of its 
extent and duration. Exposure to other sources of the contaminant of 
concern will also be queried in the survey. The information gathered in 
the survey will allow ATSDR to more accurately interpret its testing 
results and determine a likely source of elevated biomarker tests.
    Questionnaires will generally be administered face-to-face and 
occasionally by phone or mail. Typically, ATSDR conducts between 10-15 
exposure investigations nationally each year that would require a 
questionnaire. The number of participants per investigation ranges from 
10 to less than 50.
    ATSDR is seeking approval for a set of 40-43 potential questions. 
Of these, approximately 12-15 questions about the pertinent 
environmental pathways in an Exposure Investigation will be used. This 
number can vary depending on the number of contaminants being 
investigated, the route of exposure (breathing, eating, touching), and 
a number of other sources (e.g., products, jobs) of the chemical(s). We 
will also collect general information (e.g., name, address,) necessary 
to conduct the investigation; there are approximately 28 questions that 
will collect demographic information. There are no costs to respondents 
other than their time.
    Topic areas for the complete set of questions include the 
following:
    (1) Media specific which includes: air (indoor/outdoor); water 
(water source and plumbing); soil, and food (gardening, fish, game, 
domestic animals).
    (2) Other sources such as: occupation; hobbies; household uses or 
house construction; lifestyle (e.g., smoking); medicines and/or health 
conditions, and foods.

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                                                                  Number of     Average  burden
                 Respondents                     Number of      responses  per    per response    Total  burden
                                                respondents       respondent       (in hours)       (in hours)
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Exposure Investigation Participants.........             750                1            30/60              375
                                             ------------------
    Total...................................  ...............  ...............  ...............             375
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    Dated: January 25, 2005.
Betsey Dunaway,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Science Officer, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 05-1713 Filed 1-28-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P