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 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.