[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 103 (Wednesday, May 30, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30016-30017]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-10331]


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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

SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirement of Section 3507(a)(1)(D) of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment 
on proposed data collection projects, the 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 of the information 
collection listed below. This proposed information collection was 
previously published in the Federal Register on January 18, 2007, pages 
2286-2287 and allowed 60-days for public comment. No public comments 
were received. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 
days for public comment. The National Institutes of Health may not 
conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, 
an information collection that has been extended, revised, or 
implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.

Proposed Collection

    Title: Study to improve thyroid doses from fallout exposure in 
Kazakhstan, Radiation Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer 
Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute (NCI). This is a 
dose reconstruction effort. Additional data will be acquired to improve 
on published estimates of individual internal and external radiation 
dose and better characterize the underlying dose uncertainties for 
individuals exposed as children to radioactive fallout from nuclear 
tests conducted at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) in 
Kazakhstan during the 1950s. Village residents near the test site 
received high doses of internal and external radiation to the thyroid 
gland (up to 10 Gy for internal and 0.6 Gy for external radiation) as a 
result of multiple nuclear tests. Internal radiation exposure occurred 
primarily through consumption of milk and other dairy products from 
animals grazing on pastures contaminated with radioactive iodine. The 
external dose received by individuals was a function of the exposure 
rate when the fallout was deposited, shielding provided by buildings 
and the number of hours spent outdoors on a daily basis. Collection 
from small focus groups of persons who were young adults at the time of 
the nuclear tests of specific information about children's milk 
consumption and time spent indoors and outdoors, shielding, and 
pasturing and feeding of dairy animals for the months following the 
nuclear tests will allow dosimetrists to evaluate and change, as 
appropriate, the current assumptions and input values for the 
parameters of the dose estimation model. The new data will allow more 
objective model assumptions and result in a more informed 
characterization of uncertainty.
    Type of information collection request: NEW. The Kazakhstan 
population was exposed to high levels of radiation from external as 
well as internal sources, unlike the vast majority of persons living 
downwind from the Chernobyl accident who were exposed only to 
radioactive isotopes of ingested and inhaled iodine. Availability of 
accurate dose estimates will allow evaluation of the relative 
biological effectiveness (RBE) of internal vs. external radiation 
exposures in terms of thyroid disease risk within a single population. 
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.
    Need and Use of Information Collection: NCI proposes a small-scale 
field study to acquire new data to improve published estimates of 
internal and external radiation doses to individuals exposed to fallout 
from nuclear tests conducted at the SNTS during 1949-1962. 
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. New data to be 
collected on 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 will enable 
dosimetrists to address key weaknesses in the current dosimetry models. 
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 will be recruited from among women and men who speak Russian or 
Kazakh and have a verified history of residence in the village at the 
time of the nuclear tests. In each village, three groups of 8 women, 
age 70 or older, who had children or provided care to other children 
(e.g., younger siblings, nieces and nephews) who were under age 21 at 
the time of the nuclear tests will be enrolled. In each village, 8 men, 
age 70 or older, who were engaged in farming and the care of dairy 
animals at the time of the nuclear tests will be enrolled.
    Frequency of Response: Once. Affected Public: Individual and 
household. Type of Respondent: Women and men, age 70 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: 85.3.

                          Table 1.--Estimates of Annualized Hour Burden to Respondents
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                                     Number of     Frequency of    Average hours  Total hours (3    Annual hour
       Type of respondent           respondents      response      per response         yr)           burden
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                                                   Focus group
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Kazakhstan villagers (adults)                128               1             1.9             243            81.1
 >=70 yrs old)..................
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[[Page 30017]]

 
                                           Post-focus group evaluation
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Kazakhstan villagers (adults                 128               1             0.1              13             4.3
 >=70 yrs old)..................
                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................             128               1             2.0             256            85.3
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    There are no capital, 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.

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 Dr. Kiyohiko Mabuchi, Principal Investigator, 
National Cancer Institute, Executive Plaza South, Room 7038, MSC 7238, 
Bethesda, Maryland 20852, or call non-toll free number 301-594-7469 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 30 days of this 
publication.

    Dated: May 21, 2007.
Rachelle Ragland-Greene,
NCI Project Clearance Liaison, National Institutes of Health.
 [FR Doc. E7-10331 Filed 5-29-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P