[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 47 (Friday, March 12, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14116-14117]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05116]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-21-0931]


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 ``Blood Lead Surveillance System (BLSS)'' 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 October 13, 2020, 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 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. Comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. 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

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

Background and Brief Description

    The National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) is leading an 
extension of the three-year information collection request (ICR), 
titled ``Blood Lead Surveillance System (BLSS)'' (OMB Control No. 0920-
0931, Expiration Date 05/31/2021), which covers 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

[[Page 14117]]

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. Thus, 
blood lead surveillance over the human lifespan is covered under this 
single information collection request (ICR), specifically for children 
younger than 16 years through CBLS at NCEH, and for adults 16 years and 
older, through ABLES at NIOSH.
    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 the FY21 and thus will be covered by the aforementioned 
one-year extensions, while the second and third years of this ICR will 
be considered in future fiduciary appraisals. States voluntarily 
participate by sharing adult BLL data received from testing 
laboratories with NIOSH ABLES.
    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 six months to 
five 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 one to five 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 blood 
lead reference level for children as 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 respondents                   Form name            Number of     responses per   per response
                                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)
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State or Local Health Departments, or   CBLS Variables (ASCII                 59               4               4
 their Bona Fide Agents.                 Text Files).
                                        CBLS Aggregate Records                 1               1               2
                                         Form (Excel).
                                        ABLES Case Records Form.              32               1               8
                                        ABLES Aggregate Records                8               1               3
                                         Form.
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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. 2021-05116 Filed 3-11-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P