E7-12504. 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 404-639-5960 and send comments to Maryam I. Daneshvar, CDC Acting Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail to [e-mail].

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. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

Building Related Asthma Research in Public Schools—New—National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

The mission of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is to promote safety and health at work for all people through research and prevention. The Occupational Safety and Health Act, Public Law 91-596 (section 20[a][1]) authorizes the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to conduct research to advance the health and safety of workers. NIOSH is conducting a longitudinal study among teachers and staff in public schools. The goals of this study are (1) To document the time course of changes in respiratory health, sick leave, and quality of life in relation to building remediation for water incursion and dampness problems and (2) to validate the reporting of building-related lower respiratory symptoms in school staff with bronchial hyper-responsiveness by the use of serial spirometry to look for building-related patterns of airflow variability.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sponsored the Institute of Medicine to make an exhaustive review of the published literature relating exposures in damp buildings to health consequences. The committee findings, summarized in Damp Indoor Spaces and Health (Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science 2004), concluded that sufficient evidence exists for associating the presence of mold or other agents in damp buildings to nasal and throat symptoms, cough, wheeze, asthma symptoms in sensitized asthmatics, and hypersensitivity pneumonitis in susceptible persons. Identification of specific causal agents for these health outcomes in damp environments requires more investigation, and more research and demonstration projects are needed to evaluate interventions in damp buildings.

NIOSH is proposing to conduct an initial cross-sectional respiratory health survey in three schools. The study will then continue with two additional years of longitudinal follow-up, which will be used to assess respiratory health and environmental conditions in relation to time and intervention status in the three schools. NIOSH will study one school with no history of building leaks and good control of internal moisture sources, one school with previous building leaks and water damage but with subsequent renovation before the start of the study, and one school with current building leaks and dampness problems with renovation scheduled during the study. The questionnaire will be administered each year to approximately 255 respondents by an interviewer who will record the responses directly into a computer. It will include sections on the participant's medical history, work history, and home environment. All participants from the initial cross-sectional survey meeting an epidemiologic definition of asthma and reporting that the symptoms improve away from the school will be asked to perform spirometry and a methacholine challenge test, or if obstructed, a bronchodilator test, both of which are standard medical tests for asthma; NIOSH anticipates about 45 respondents for these tests. Of those 45, 20 participants who are positive for either test will also be asked to participate in the serial spirometry study, which will cover three weeks during the school term and an additional three weeks during the summer break. Participation in all surveys is completely voluntary. There are no costs to the respondents other than their time.

Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

Form name	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden per response (in hours)	Total Burden (in hours)
Health questionnaire	255	1	1	255
Health questionnaire and lung function testing	25	1	2	50
Health questionnaire, lung function testing, serial spirometry	20	1	39	780
Total				1,085

Dated: June 22, 2007.

Maryam I. Daneshvar,

Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.