[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 181 (Monday, September 20, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50817-50818]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24368]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
[INFO-99-38]
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 Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry (ATSDR) 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
ATSDR Reports Clearance Officer on (404) 639-7090.
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 for other
forms of information technology. Send comments to Nancy Cheal, Ph.D.,
ATSDR Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D24, Atlanta, GA
30333. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this
notice.
Proposed Project
Exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds and Childhood Leukemia
Incidence at MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina--Extension--Agency for
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). There is limited
evidence that in utero exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
such as trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in drinking
water may be strongly associated with childhood leukemia (CL). In 1982,
VOC contamination was identified in certain groundwater supply wells
which supplied drinking water to housing units at U.S. Marine Corps
Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. In a previous health
study of approximately 6,000 infants exposed in utero to this
contaminated water and 6,000 unexposed births, it was shown that
gestational PCE exposure was related to lower birth weights for certain
subgroups. The purpose of the proposed nested case-control study is to
investigate the potential relationship between exposure to VOCs in
drinking water and incidence of CL at Camp Lejeune. A secondary
objective of the proposed study is to investigate the potential
relationship between VOCs in drinking water and birth defects in this
population.
During this phase of the proposed study, an attempt will be made to
locate as many of the children born to base residents between 1968 and
1985 as well as offspring from pregnancies that occurred during this
time period but were not delivered at Camp Lejeune. A brief screening
questionnaire will be interviewer-administered to identify potential
cancer and birth defect cases. Some of the data to be collected by the
questionnaire includes: confirmation of the name(s) of children and
date(s) of birth; dates and location of residence on base during the
pregnancy and/or at the time of delivery; current vital status of each
child; the determination of diagnosis with cancer or birth defects
before age 20. As a result of delays in obtaining data necessary to
trace potential respondents, a renewal for this project has been
requested.
It is necessary to identify each respondent in order to assess
place of residence at Camp Lejeune as a measure of possible VOC
exposure as well as to determine possible case status, i.e. reported
diagnosis of childhood cancer or birth defect. This information will be
used during the next study phase to identify potential cases and
controls for the proposed nested case-control study.
With help from the U. S. Navy and U. S. Marine Corps sources, we
will obtain current address information and attempt to contact
respondents directly. For respondents with unknown current addresses,
tracing efforts will include advertising in the general media as well
as in publications directed toward Marine Corps and Navy personnel.
Once the respondent is located, the questionnaire will be administered
by trained interviewers over the telephone.
Respondents will be one of the following: (1) a parent who gave
birth or was pregnant while residing at MCB Camp Lejeune between 1968
and 1985; (2) a parent who was pregnant while residing at MCB Camp
Lejeune between 1968 and 1985 but gave birth elsewhere; or (3) an
offspring of said parents. The number of births that occurred at MCB
Camp Lejeune during this period is approximately 12,000. It has been
estimated that approximately one-third of women who seek prenatal care
while residing at Camp Lejeune are relocated before delivery.
Therefore, attempts will be made to contact and interview up to an
additional 4,000 respondents. Of the 16,000 total possible respondents,
a conservative estimate of the number that will be located and
subsequently interviewed is 13,000 (about 80%).
The hourly burden has been modified since the first submittal. This
was a result of pretesting of the data collection instrument. It was
found that the average completion time per survey was closer to 15
minutes as opposed to the original estimate of 9 minutes.
[[Page 50818]]
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Number of Avg. burden of
Type of respondents Number of responses/ response (In Total burden
respondents respondent hrs.) (In hrs.)
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Parent/Child born at Camp Lejeune; 1968-1985.... 9,650 1 0.25 2,412.50
Pregnancy at Camp Lejeune, delivery else-where; 3,350 1 0.25 837.50
1968-1985......................................
Total..................................... .............. .............. .............. 3,250.00
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Dated: September 14, 1999.
Nancy Cheal,
Acting Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 99-24368 Filed 9-17-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-70-P
