02-32658. Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call the CDC Reports Clearance Officer on [phone].

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Send comments to Anne O'Connor, CDC Assistant Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D24, Atlanta, GA 30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project: National Coal Workers' Autopsy Study (NCWAS) Consent Release and History Form 0920-0021—Extension—National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Background

Under the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1977, Pub. L. 91-173 (amended the Federal Coal Mine and Safety Act of 1969), the Public Health Service has developed a nationwide autopsy program (NCWAS) for underground coal miners. The NCWAS is a service program to aid surviving relatives in establishing eligibility for black lung compensation. The Consent Release and History Form is primarily used to obtain written authorization from the next-of-kin to perform an autopsy on the deceased miner. Because a basic reason for the post-mortem examination is research (both epidemiological and clinical), a minimum of essential information is collected regarding the deceased miners, including occupational history and smoking history. The data collected will be used by the staff at NIOSH for research purposes in defining the diagnostic criteria for coal workers' pneumoconiosis (black lung) and pathologic changes that will be correlated with x-ray findings.

It is estimated that only 5 minutes is required for the pathologist to put a statement on the invoice affirming that no other compensation is received for the autopsy. From past experience, it is estimated that 15 minutes is required for the next-of-kin to complete the Consent Release and History Form. Since an autopsy report is routinely completed by a pathologist, the only additional burden is the specific request of abstraction of the terminal illness and final diagnosis relating to pneumoconiosis. Therefore, only 5 minutes of additional burden is estimated for the autopsy report. There are no costs to respondents.

Respondents	Number of respondents	Number of responses/respondent	Averagae burden/response (in hrs.)	Total burden (in hrs.)
Pathologist Invoice	50	1	5/60	4.2
Pathologist Report	50	1	5/60	4.2
Next-of-Kin	50	1	15/60	12.5
Total				20.9

Dated: December 20, 2002.

Nancy E. Cheal,

Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.