[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 216 (Thursday, November 9, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52047-52049]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24417]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-18-17ZX]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted the information 
collection request titled ``Childhood Blood Lead Surveillance (CBLS) 
and Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES)'' to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. CDC 
previously published a ``Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public 
Comment and Recommendations'' notice on April 6, 2017 to obtain 
comments from the public and affected agencies. CDC did not receive 
comments related to the previous notice. This notice serves to allow an 
additional 30 days for public and affected agency comments.
    CDC will accept all comments for this proposed information 
collection project. The Office of Management and Budget

[[Page 52048]]

is particularly interested in comments that:
    (a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (b) Evaluate the accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected;
    (d) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including, through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses; and
    (e) Assess information collection costs.
    To request additional information on the proposed project or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call 
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to [email protected]. Direct written comments 
and/or suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice to the 
Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th 
Street NW., Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Provide 
written comments within 30 days of notice publication.

Proposed Project

    Childhood Blood Lead Surveillance (CBLS) and Adult Blood Lead 
Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES)--New--National Center for 
Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Over the past several decades, there have been substantial efforts 
in environmental lead abatement, improved protection from occupational 
lead exposure, and a reduction in the prevalence of population blood-
lead levels (BLLs) over time. U.S. population BLLs have substantially 
decreased over the last four decades. For example, the CDC has reported 
the 1976-1980 U.S. BLL mean in children, 6 months to 5 years, as 16.0 
micrograms per deciliter ([mu]g/dL); and among adults, 18 to 74 years, 
as 14.1 [mu]g/dL. More recently, the CDC reported the 2009-2010 U.S. 
BLL geometric means among children, 1 to 5 years, and among adults, 20 
years and older, as 1.2 [mu]g/dL. Despite the reduction in the overall 
population BLL over four decades, lead exposures continue to occur at 
unacceptable levels for individuals in communities and workplaces 
across the nation. As of 2015, both the National Center for 
Environmental Health (NCEH) and the National Institute for Occupational 
Safety and Health (NIOSH) define elevated BLLs as greater than or equal 
to 5 [mu]g/dL for individuals of all ages.
    NCEH is leading this new three-year information collection project 
that covers two CDC information collections, one for childhood blood 
lead surveillance by NCEH and another for adult blood lead surveillance 
by NIOSH. Thus, blood lead surveillance over the human lifespan is 
covered under this single ICR, specifically for children, less than 16 
years, through the NCEH Childhood Blood Lead Surveillance (CBLS) 
Program, and for adults, 16 years and older, through the NIOSH Adult 
Blood Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) Program.
    The goal of the NCEH CBLS Program is to support blood lead 
screening and to promote primary prevention of exposure to lead. Also, 
the CBLS Program supports secondary prevention of adverse health 
effects when lead exposures occur in children through improved program 
management and oversight in respondent jurisdictions.
    This new information collection project will cover the NCEH Fiscal 
Year 2017 (FY17) three-year cooperative agreement, titled ``Lead 
Poisoning Prevention--Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention--financed 
partially by Prevention and Public Health Funds'' (Funding Opportunity 
Announcement [FOA] No. CDC-RFA-EH17-1701-PPHF17). The first year of 
this new program, with 48 awardees, will run concurrently with the 
final and fourth budget year for ``PPHF 2014: Lead Poisoning 
Prevention--Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention--financed solely by 
2014 Prevention and Public Health Funds'' (FOA No. CDC-RFA-EH14-
1408PPHF14). The information collection project titled ``Healthy Homes 
and Lead Poisoning Surveillance System (HHLPSS)'' (OMB Control Number 
0920-0931; expiration date 05/31/2018) is funded by an existing four-
year FY14 cooperative agreement with up to 40 awardees. Returning 
awardees will submit childhood blood lead surveillance data under 
HHLPSS for the final year of the FY14 program, and then will continue 
to submit data for the second year of the FY17 program under this new 
project.
    New FY17 awardees will submit CBLS data only under this new 
information collection project. NCEH is requesting approval for the 
following differences for the new program: (1) Clarifying awardees' 
procedures for data delivery into the CBLS system; and (2) revising the 
CBLS Variables forms to remove healthy homes variables. Based on 
available FY17 funds, NCEH is also requesting the following: (3) 
Increasing the number of potential NCEH respondents from 40 to 48; and 
(4) increasing the NCEH annual time burden from 640 to 760 hours.
    On a quarterly basis, CDC anticipates that up to 47 CBLS 
respondents will submit quarterly text files of individual blood lead 
test records. Based on experience, CDC also anticipates that one 
awardee will report quarterly aggregated records to CBLS. The estimated 
annual time burden for NCEH CBLS is 760 hours.
    The goal of the NIOSH Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and 
Surveillance (ABLES) Program is to build state capacity for adult blood 
lead surveillance programs to measure trends in adult blood lead levels 
and to prevent lead over-exposures. CDC is taking this opportunity to 
provide the public with a detailed description of the NIOSH ABLES 
information collection. Previously, ABLES was included but not fully 
described in the HHLPSS information collection request (OMB Control 
Number 0920-0931; expiration date 05/31/2018). To correct for this 
omission, NIOSH is requesting approval for the following: (1) Providing 
a detailed description of the authority and scope of the ABLES 
information reporting procedures; (2) adding 40 NIOSH respondents to 
the burden table; and (3) adding 280 hours for the NIOSH annual time 
burden. Once approved in this new information collection request, CDC 
will submit a revision request to remove the description of the ABLES 
Program from the existing HHLPSS project.
    On an annual basis, and in addition to a brief narrative report of 
notable lead surveillance activities in the past year, NIOSH gives 
ABLES respondents the option to report either individual adult case 
blood lead results or aggregate counts of adult blood lead test 
results. NIOSH anticipates that 80 percent of state programs will send 
case records and 20 percent will send aggregate records. The estimated 
annual time burden for NIOSH ABLES is 280 hours.
    In total, CDC is requesting approval for a total annual time burden 
of 1,040 hours. CDC defines respondents as State or local health 
departments, or their Bona Fide agents, with lead poisoning prevention 
programs.

[[Page 52049]]



                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                                     Number of    Average burden
          Type of respondents                   Form name            Number of     responses per   per response
                                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State or Local Health Departments, or   Childhood Blood Lead                  47               4               4
 their Bona Fide Agents.                 Surveillance (CBLS
                                         Variables--Text Files.
State or Local Health Departments, or   CBLS--Aggregate Records                1               4               2
 their Bona Fide Agents.                 Form.
State or Local Health Departments, or   Adult Blood Lead                      32               1               8
 their Bona Fide Agents.                 Epidemiology and
                                         Surveillance (ABLES)
                                         Case Records Form and
                                         Brief Narrative Report.
State or Local Health Departments, or   ABLES Aggregate Records                8               1               3
 their Bona Fide Agents.                 Form and Brief
                                         Narrative Report.
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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. 2017-24417 Filed 11-8-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P