[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 198 (Tuesday, October 13, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64474-64475]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-22491]



[[Page 64474]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-21-0931; Docket No. CDC-2020-0106]


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 ``Blood Lead Surveillance System 
(BLSS)'' (OMB Control No. 0920-0931, Exp. Date 05/31/2021). The 
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) is leading a three-year 
extension information collection request (ICR) for two CDC information 
collections, one for childhood blood lead surveillance by NCEH and 
another for adult blood lead surveillance by the National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before December 14, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2020-
0106 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, 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: 404-639-7118; 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 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

    Blood Lead Surveillance System (OMB Control No. 0920-0931, Exp. 
Date 05/31/2021)--Extension--National Center for Environmental Health 
(NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    This is a request for a three-year Extension for an existing 
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) clearance titled ``Blood Lead 
Surveillance System (BLSS)'' (OMB Control No.0920-0931; Expiration date 
05/31/2021). The National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) is 
leading this ICR for two Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC) information collections, one for childhood blood lead 
surveillance by NCEH and another for adult blood lead surveillance by 
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
    The goal of the NCEH Childhood Blood Lead Surveillance (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.
    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.
    NCEH has a 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-EH17-1701PPHF17) and a two-year 
cooperative agreement, titled ``Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention 
Projects, State and Local Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and 
Surveillance of Blood Lead Levels in Children''--(Notice of Funding 
Opportunity [NOFO] No. CDC-RFA-EH18-1806). Both have one-year 
extensions (CDC-RFA-EH17-1701SUPP20 and CDC-RFA-EH18-1806 SUPP20, 
respectively). The first year of this ICR will extend through the first 
eight months of FY21 and thus will be covered by the one-year 
extensions, while funding for the second and third years of this ICR 
will be determined in the future. Data submission to the ABLES Program 
is voluntary and completed through data sharing agreements with state 
agencies or their bona fide agents.
    Blood lead surveillance over the human lifespan is covered under 
this single ICR, specifically for children younger than 16 years 
through CBLS at NCEH, and for adults 16 years and

[[Page 64475]]

older, through ABLES at NIOSH. 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. The U.S. 
population BLLs have substantially decreased over the last four 
decades. For example, the CDC has reported the 1976-1980 U.S. mean BLL 
in children 6 months to 5 years was 16.0 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/
dL), and 14.1 mcg/dL among adults 18 to 74 years. 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 mcg/dL for both age 
groups.
    In 2012, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) concluded that there 
is sufficient evidence that even BLLs less than 5 mcg/dL are associated 
with adverse health effects in both children and adults. 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. Surveillance will 
continue through CBLS and ABLES to identify cases of elevated BLLs when 
primary prevention is not achieved. As of 2015, NCEH defines its 
reference level for children at 5 mcg/dL. NIOSH defines an elevated 
BLLs as greater than or equal to 5 mcg/dL for adults.
    Respondents are defined as state, local, and territorial health 
departments with lead poisoning prevention programs. The estimated 
annual time burden for NCEH CBLS is 946 hours. The estimated annual 
time burden for NIOSH ABLES is 280 hours. In total, CDC is requesting 
approval for a total annual time burden of 1,226 hours.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
      Type of respondent            Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent        (in hr)         (in hr)
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State, Local and Territorial    CBLS Variables                59               4               4             944
 Health Departments, or their    (ASCII Text                   1               1               2               2
 Bona Fide Agents.               Files).
                                CBLS Aggregate
                                 Records Form
                                 (Excel).
                                ABLES Case                    32               1               8             256
                                 Records Form
                                 and Brief
                                 Narrative
                                 Report.
                                ABLES Aggregate                8               1               3              24
                                 Records Form
                                 and Brief
                                 Narrative
                                 Report.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           1,226
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2020-22491 Filed 10-9-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P