[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10808-10810]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-04136]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-14-14KW]


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 404-639-7570 or 
send comments to Leroy Richardson, 1600 Clifton Road, MS D-74, 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 or other 
forms of information technology. Written comments should be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Measuring the Effects of State and Local Radon Policies--New--
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion 
(NCCDPHP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the 
U.S. population, with only 17% of lung cancer patients surviving 5 
years or more from the time of diagnosis. Radon is a radioactive gas 
that concentrates in homes and is well-established as the leading cause 
of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second leading cause of lung 
cancer in smokers. Radon exposure reduction is the focus of two Healthy 
People 2020 objectives related to reduction of the number of people 
living in high-concentration radon homes and the subject of a ``Call to 
Action'' from

[[Page 10809]]

the US Surgeon General. Despite these recommendations, it is estimated 
that fewer than 25% of existing U.S. homes have been tested for radon.
    There are significant gaps in understanding the impact of radon 
control efforts, especially those in the area of policy. As of February 
2013, 22 states required general disclosure of known environmental 
hazards (including radon) during home sale, 21 states had radon 
professional licensure policies, and 8 states required notification of 
radon risks and test results as separate documents during a home sale. 
Twenty-one states had no radon-related policies. To date there are no 
studies that assess the effect of radon-related policies on increasing 
awareness or testing of radon and decreasing exposure to this well-
known carcinogen.
    To address this gap in knowledge, CDC proposes to conduct a new 
study to understand how state and local radon policies affect radon 
awareness, testing, and mitigation. The primary focus of the study will 
be on how single-family homebuyers and real estate agents understand 
and are affected by radon policies involving home sales. This 
information will allow stakeholders to better understand the impact of 
various policies intended to prevent exposure to radon and decrease the 
incidence of lung cancer in the U.S. population.
    The study approach will involve complementary qualitative and 
quantitative methods whose results will guide future research and 
educational efforts. The main outcomes evaluated will be the effect of 
policies related to generic disclosure of environmental hazards at the 
time of home sale, notification specific to awareness of and test 
results for radon at the time of home sale, and radon professional 
certification. Participants' understanding of the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) lead-based paint disclosure law, which is 
present in all states, will be assessed to understand if general 
environmental awareness differs between states.
    Investigators seek to interview and send questionnaires to 
participants from four states: two states with home sale notification 
policies specific to radon, one state with only a generic disclosure 
law, and one state with no environmental disclosure policy. An 
additional consideration for recruiting these four states is to 
identify two states that have radon professional certification policies 
to compare to two states that do not.
    After recruiting states with the desired mix of characteristics, 
investigators will focus on identifying counties or jurisdictions that 
have a median home sales price that approximates the median home price 
of the relevant Metropolitan Statistical Area. This will improve the 
ability to apply findings to other situations.
    The Homebuyer Component of the study will involve information 
collection from 3,000 individuals (750 from each state) who purchased a 
single-family home in the last 12 months. Potential respondents for the 
Homebuyer Survey will be identified through review of publicly-
available tax records of home sales and recruited through mailed 
invitations. The survey will ask questions regarding homebuyers' 
knowledge about radon and lead-based paint as well as how home sale and 
professional certification policies for radon and lead-based paint 
affected their decisions during the home buying process. Responses will 
be collected via mail and the internet. To improve the quality of 
information collected through the Homebuyer Survey, a draft instrument 
will be cognitively tested with up to 32 respondents before the final 
survey is distributed.
    The Real Estate Agent Component of the study will involve focus 
groups with full-time real estate agents who specialize in single-
family home sales and are members of a national, state, or an 
equivalent realtors association. Respondents will be recruited through 
mailed invitations to real estate offices, phone calls, and possibly 
outreach at local real estate agent meetings. Investigators will 
conduct three, one-hour focus groups of 6-8 agents per state for a 
total of up to 96 respondents. These recorded discussions will ask real 
estate agents about their and their clients' understanding of radon and 
lead, how/whether this understanding affected decisions during the home 
buying process, and whether professional certification affected 
decisions during the home buying process.
    Understanding how these policies affect homebuyers and real estate 
agents will allow help stakeholders better prevent radon exposure and 
decrease the incidence of lung cancer in the U.S. population. This 
information will help provide an evidence basis for CDC's many grantees 
who work to understand the impact of policies in their states. OMB 
approval is requested for two years. Participation is voluntary and 
there are no costs to respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total burden
      Type of respondents           Form name       respondents    responses per   response (in     (in hours)
                                                                    respondent        hours)
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Homebuyers....................  Cognitive                     16               1               1              16
                                 Testing
                                 Interview Guide.
                                Homebuyer Survey           1,500               1            8/60             200
Real Estate Agents............  Focus Group                   48               1               1              48
                                 Interview Guide.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             264
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[[Page 10810]]

Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2014-04136 Filed 2-25-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P