[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 11 (Thursday, January 18, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2286-2287]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-625]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


National Cancer Institute; Proposed Collection; Comment 
Requested; Study to Improve Thyroid Doses From Fallout Exposure in 
Kazakhstan--Follow-up

    Summary: 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, National 
Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will 
publish periodic summaries of proposed projects to be submitted to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval.

Proposed Collection

    Title: Study to improve thyroid doses from fallout exposure in 
Kazakhstan--Follow-up, Radiation Epidemiology Branch, Division of 
Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute (NCI). The 
proposed work builds on an existing study conducted 1998 of radiation 
exposure and thyroid disease among individuals in Kazakhstan exposed 
during childhood to radioactive fallout from nuclear tests conducted at 
the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) between 1949 and 1962. The 
1998 study recruited 3000 participants who were 21 years of age or 
younger at fallout exposure, from eight villages. Analyses of 
preliminary dose estimates suggest that internal and external exposures 
independently and significantly contributed to the dose response for 
thyroid nodules. Type of Information Collection Request: NEW.
    This study population in Kazakhstan is unique in several ways. This 
is only the fourth major population in which dose-response has been 
studied for thyroid disease associated with environmental releases of 
radioactive materials. The conditions of fallout exposure in Kazakhstan 
are directly relevant to conditions following a hypothetical nuclear 
accident or a terrorist attack involving high levels of local fallout. 
Among large study populations with high exposure following 
environmental releases of radioactive materials, this population is 
second in size only to those most heavily exposed to radioactive 
materials released during the 1986 Chornobyl reactor accident. However, 
unlike the Chornobyl population, the Kazakhstan population was exposed 
to high levels of radiation from external as well as internal sources. 
This allows us to evaluate the relative effectiveness of internal and 
external radiation exposures in terms of thyroid disease risk within a 
single population. Need and Use of Information Collection: NCI proposes 
a small-scale field study to acquire new data to improve our estimates 
of internal and external radiation dose and thereby refine the dose-
response estimates. Retrospective information about factors influencing 
radiation dose to the thyroid gland in children of two distinct ethnic 
groups (Kazakh and Russian) will be collected using focus group 
interviews. These new collected data will address key weaknesses in the 
current dosimetry, including milk and milk product consumption, time 
typically spent outdoors, radiation shielding provided by dwellings and 
other buildings, and seasonal practices of pasturing and supplemental 
feeding of dairy animals at the time of the nuclear tests. Since the 
objective is to estimate group-specific mean values (and ranges) and 
not to collect individual data, focus groups are better suited than 
conventional in-depth individual interviews.
    Focus group members for each village will consist of two sets of 
participants who (i) speak Russian or Kazakh and are able to 
participate in a 2 hour focus group session, and (ii) have verified 
history of residence in the village at the time of the nuclear tests 
will be recruited for the study.
    Frequency of Response: Once;
    Affected Public: Individual and household.
    Type of Respondent: Women, Men age 65 or older
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 128.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Average Burden Hours per Response: 2.0. Annual Burden Hours 
Requested: 256.
     Women: In each village, three groups of 8 women ages 65 
years and older who had children less than age 15 years or provided 
care to children in this age group (i.e., younger siblings, nieces and 
nephews) at the time of the nuclear tests.
     Men: In each village, 8 men ages 65 and older who were 
engaged in farming and care of dairy animals at the time of the nuclear 
tests.
    Since the main exposure years (time of the tests) varies by 
village, specific eligibility requirements will be applied to each 
village. Verification of residence history will be based on regional 
records.

                              Table A.--Total Burden Estimates for Data Collection
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
                      Form                           Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)      (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Focus Group.....................................             128               1         2 hours             256
    Male........................................              32               1         2 hours              64
    Female......................................              96               1         2 hours             192
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
        Total...................................  ..............  ..............  ..............             256
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    There are no Capital Costs to report. There are no Operating or 
Maintenance Costs to report.

Request for Comments

    Written comments and/or suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies are invited on one or more of the following points: (1) 
Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the 
proposed performance of the functions of the agency, including whether 
the information shall have practical utility; (2) 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; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including the 
use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other 
technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

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    For Further Information Contact: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and 
instruments, contact Charles Land, Project Officer, National Cancer 
Institute, EPS , 6120 Executive Boulevard MSC 7238, Bethesda, Maryland 
20852, or call non-toll free number 301-594-7165 or FAX your request, 
including your address to 301-402-0207.

Comments Due Date

    Comments regarding this information collection are best assured of 
having their full effect if received within 60 days of this 
publication.

    Dated: January 8, 2007.
Rachelle Ragland-Greene,
NCI Project Clearance Liaison, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. E7-625 Filed 1-17-07; 8:45 am]
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