[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 69 (Monday, April 13, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16874-16875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8340]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-09-09BK]


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 404-639-5960 
and send comments to Maryam I. Daneshvar, CDC Acting Reports Clearance 
Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail 
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 or other 
forms of information technology. Written comments should be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Registration of Individuals Displaced by the Hurricanes Katrina and 
Rita (Pilot Project)--New--Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease 
Registry (ATSDR), Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and 
Injury Prevention (CCEHIP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the coast of 
the Gulf of Mexico near New Orleans, Louisiana, and became one of the 
most deadly and destructive storms in U.S. history. Also occurring in 
2005, Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane 
ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in 
the Gulf of Mexico. Following the initial phase of the response, the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assumed the primary role for 
housing displaced persons over the intermediate term. To support those 
needing temporary housing, FEMA provided over 143,000 travel trailers, 
park homes, and mobile homes for persons displaced by the above 
mentioned storms. However, some persons living in trailers complained 
of an odor or of eye or respiratory tract irritation.
    FEMA entered into an Interagency Agreement with the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/ATSDR on August 16, 2007 to 
conduct a

[[Page 16875]]

comprehensive public health assessment, based on objective and credible 
research, of air quality conditions present in FEMA housing units to 
guide FEMA policy makers and inform the public as to the actual 
conditions in the field and any actions required to better promote a 
safe and healthful environment for the disaster victims FEMA housed in 
the units. FEMA's agreement with the CDC includes an initial 
formaldehyde exposure assessment as well as a subsequent long-term 
study of the health effects among resident children. Formaldehyde 
testing conducted and evaluated by the CDC pursuant to the initial 
exposure assessment has identified the need to evaluate the feasibility 
of establishing a national registry to identify and monitor the health 
of disaster victims who occupied FEMA-provided temporary housing units. 
The establishment of such a registry would complement the long-term 
health effects study set forth in the FEMA-CDC Interagency Agreement.
    The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of 
contacting and enrolling members of the targeted group in a registry; 
to provide a basis for budgeting and further planning for a 
comprehensive registry; and to test the acceptance of and response to a 
questionnaire composed of standardized health questions related to 
systemic and respiratory symptoms.
    A pre-registration dataset will be created before enrollment. This 
dataset will be populated with contact information of the study 
population, gathered from two main sources: FEMA datasets (in the case 
of occupants of temporary housing units) and data provided by self-
identified individuals who were displaced by the hurricanes but did not 
live in the FEMA temporary trailers, members of a pre-defined 
population (in the case of occupants of non-temporary housing units).
    A computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) system based on a 
paper questionnaire will be used during all interviews to collect data 
for this project. The first part will consist of screening questions to 
determine eligibility for enrollment. The second part will contain 
contact information of the registrant and other household members, 
demographics, and health status questions, focusing on respiratory 
outcomes and cancer.
    There are no costs to the respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total burden
          Respondents                 Form          respondents    responses per   response  (in    (in hours)
                                                                    respondent        hours)
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Temporary housing unit          Screening                  8,000               1            3/60             400
 occupant.                       questionnaire.
                                Main                       4,000               1           45/60           3,000
                                 questionnaire.
Non-Temporary housing unit      Screening                  2,000               1            3/60             100
 occupant.                       questionnaire.
                                Main                       1,000               1           45/60             750
                                 questionnaire.
                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           4,250
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    Dated: April 7, 2009.
Maryam I. Daneshvar,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. E9-8340 Filed 4-10-09; 8:45 am]
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