[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 234 (Thursday, December 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62867-62869]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26351]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-19-19DO; Docket No. CDC-2018-0108]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or 
continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed 
information collection project titled National Surveillance of 
Community Water Systems and Corresponding Populations with the 
Recommended Fluoridation Level. This surveillance collects the 
fluoridation status of the nation's approximately 52,000 community 
water systems (CWS) which serve the 50 states and the District of 
Columbia. It also collects fluoride level testing data for those CWS 
which adjust naturally occurring fluoride levels. The data are analyzed 
and published to inform the public and to support state and local 
governments' efforts to monitor community water fluoridation levels 
relative to the US Public Health Service recommended level to prevent 
tooth decay.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before February 4, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2018-
0108 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Acting Lead, Information 
Collection Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
1600 Clifton Road NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments 
to Regulations.gov.
    Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
portal (regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection 
Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton 
Road NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are

[[Page 62868]]

publishing this notice of a proposed data collection as described 
below.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
    1. 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;
    2. Evaluate 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. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    4. 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 
submissions of responses.
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    National Surveillance of Community Water Systems and Corresponding 
Populations with the Recommended Fluoridation Level--Existing 
Collection in use without an OMB Control Number--National Center for 
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Dental caries is one of the most common chronic diseases throughout 
the lifespan in the United States, and disproportionately affects 
populations with low socioeconomic status, and racial and ethnic 
minority populations. Dental caries can lead to infection and 
diminished quality of life, and cause substantial societal cost due to 
absence from school and work, as well as expensive treatments.
    Naturally occurring fluoride is found in all surface and ground 
water sources, but typically is lower than the recommended 
concentration needed to prevent dental caries (tooth decay). Community 
water fluoridation is the process of adjusting the fluoride 
concentration of a community water system (CWS) to the level beneficial 
for prevention of dental caries as recommended by the US Public Health 
Service (PHS). CDC monitors CWS fluoride levels relative to the PHS 
recommended level under the Public Health Service Act. In 2000, CDC 
launched a Web-based data management tool--Water Fluoridation Reporting 
Systems (WFRS) in collaboration with the Association of State and 
Territorial Dental Directors. States may report their information to 
CDC using WFRS or via email.
    Respondents to the information collection are state fluoridation 
managers or other state government officials designated by the state 
dental director or drinking water administrator. State participation in 
the data collection is voluntary. Respondents are asked to update 
fluoridation status of, and counties and populations served by, each 
CWS in their state annually. All 50 states respond to this portion of 
the collection. Washington DC is not included in the data collection 
because water is supplied by a CWS from Virginia and therefore Virginia 
will collect data. Historically collected natural fluoride 
concentrations are available in WFRS for all CWS; once collected, they 
rarely change over time. Respondents also are asked to enter the high, 
low, and average fluoride testing level data annually for each month 
for their fluoride-adjusted CWS. Currently, two-thirds of the states 
respond to this portion of the collection.
    CDC analyzes and publishes results through interactive, public-
facing web pages: (1) Biennial surveillance reports documenting the 
percentage of the population with fluoridated water at national, state, 
and local levels; and (2) My Water's Fluoride, which publishes the 
fluoridation status of individual CWS and some fluoride level data for 
states which choose to display it. CDC uses the information collection 
to (1) provide national fluoridation surveillance reports; (2) assist 
states manage their fluoride level data and monitor and improve quality 
of community water fluoridation programs; (3) measure national 
performance toward the fluoridation Healthy People objective; (4) 
evaluate outcomes of CDC's cooperative agreements with states; (5) 
facilitate creation of state-specific reports for states' programmatic 
and policy use. The information collection is also used to inform 
health care providers to determine targeted delivery of preventive 
care, for example, determining use of fluoride supplements for children 
living in fluoride-deficient areas.
    CDC's collection of CWS data is not duplicative of any other 
federal collection, including the US Environmental Protection Agency's 
(EPA) Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), as SDWIS receives 
state reports of CWS fluoride levels that exceed 4 mg/L but not those 
near the beneficial level of 0.7 mg/L recommended for dental caries 
prevention by the PHS. Thus, CDC's system is required to assess the 
degree to which the nation is reaching this PHS-recommended level.
    The total estimated annualized burden hours are 2,824, including 
(1) 1,900 hours for the validation or update of CWS fluoridation status 
and population served from 50 respondents, with estimated average 
burden hours of 38 per respondent; and (2) 924 hours for the annual 
entry of fluoride testing level data for fluoride-adjusted CWS 
conducted by 33 respondents with an estimated average burden of 28 
hours per respondent. WFRS will be hosted and maintaineded by CDC. 
There are no maintenance costs to respondents, and there are no costs 
to respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
      Type of respondents           Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)      (in hours)
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State Official................  Fluoridation                  50               1              38           1,900
                                 status and
                                 population.
State Official................  Fluoride testing              33               1              28             924
                                 data.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           2,824
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[[Page 62869]]

Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Acting Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 2018-26351 Filed 12-4-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P