[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 213 (Monday, November 4, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 87579-87581]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25554]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

[60Day-25-0048; Docket No. ATSDR-2024-0005]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

[[Page 87580]]

(ATSDR), 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 
continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed 
information collection project titled ATSDR Exposure Investigations 
(EIs). ATSDR EIs are deigned to fill data gaps by conducting 
environmental and biological sampling and to evaluate public health 
issues at a site resulting from environmental exposures.

DATES: ATSDR must receive written comments on or before January 3, 
2025.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. ATSDR-
2024-0005 by either of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
    <bullet> Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. ATSDR will post, without change, all relevant 
comments to www.regulations.gov.

    Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
portal (www.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 H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; Telephone: 404-639-7570; 
Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#06696b644665626528616970"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d2bdbfb092b1b6b1fcb5bda4">[email protected]</span></a>.

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;
    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; and
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    ATSDR Exposure Investigations (EIs) (OMB Control No. 0923-0048, 
Exp. 6/30/2025)--Extension--Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease 
Registry (ATSDR).

Background and Brief Description

    The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is 
requesting a three-year Extension of this Generic Clearance to allow 
the agency to conduct Exposure Investigations (EIs), through methods 
developed by ATSDR. After a chemical release or suspected release into 
the environment, EIs are usually requested by officials of a state 
health agency, county health departments, the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA), the general public, and ATSDR staff.
    EI results are used by public health professionals, environmental 
risk managers, and other decision makers to determine if current 
conditions warrant intervention strategies to minimize or eliminate 
human exposure. For example, an EI that ATSDR previously conducted 
during included environmental sampling to evaluate non-drinking water 
exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in two 
communities that were shown to be exposed to PFAS in their drinking 
water.
    During the most recent clearance period (4/30/2022-present) a 
single Generic Exposure Investigation information collection request 
(ICR) was submitted. The EI conducted under this clearance period was 
an EI in Jasper and Newton Counties, Missouri to evaluate exposure to 
lead in a former mining community. ATSDR collected blood samples from 
community members most vulnerable to the impacts of lead exposure: 
children five years old and younger along with pregnant women and women 
of childbearing age. ATSDR partnered with the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) and the Missouri Department of Health and 
Senior Services (MDHSS) who collected environmental samples, including 
soil, dust wipes, drinking water and paint, along with the results of 
the blood sampling. Appropriate EI procedures, including use of consent 
forms and questionnaires were used in the EI. The environmental 
sampling was submitted under this OMB Control Number with a burden of 
426 hours.
    All of ATSDR's targeted biological assessments (e.g., urine, blood) 
and some of the environmental investigations (e.g., air, water, soil, 
dust, or food sampling) involve participants to determine whether they 
are or have been exposed to unusual levels of pollutants at specific 
locations (e.g., where people live, spend leisure time, or anywhere 
they might come into contact with contaminants under investigation). 
Questionnaires, appropriate to the specific contaminant, are generally 
needed in about half of the EIs (at most approximately 12 per year) to 
assist in interpreting the biological or environmental sampling 
results. ATSDR collects contact information (e.g., name, address, phone 
number) to provide the participant with their individual results. ATSDR 
also collects information on other possible confounding sources of 
chemical(s) exposure such as medicines taken, foods eaten, hobbies, 
jobs, etc. In addition, ATSDR asks questions on recreational or 
occupational activities that could increase a participant's exposure 
potential. That information represents an individual's exposure 
history.
    The number of questions can vary depending on the number of 
chemicals being investigated, the route of exposure (e.g., breathing, 
eating, touching), and number of other sources of the chemical(s) 
(e.g., products used, jobs). We use approximately 12-20 questions about 
the pertinent environmental exposures per investigation. A question 
bank is available for health assessors to use as a basis of questions 
to be asked during the EI, but EI-specific questions may be included as 
appropriate. Typically, the number of participants in an individual EI 
ranges from 10 to 100. Participation is completely voluntary, and there 
are no costs to participants

[[Page 87581]]

other than their time. Based on a maximum of 12 EIs per year and 100 
participants each, the estimated annualized burden hours are 600.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of       Number of      burden per     Total burden
      Type of respondents           Form name       respondents    responses per   response  (in    (in hours)
                                                                    respondent        hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exposure Investigation          Chemical                   1,200               1           30/60             600
 Participants.                   Exposure
                                 Questions.
                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             600
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Public Health 
Ethics and Regulations, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2024-25554 Filed 11-1-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P


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