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 (404) 498-1210.

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 Seleda Perryman, 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: Human Exposure to Cyanobacterial (blue-green algal) Toxins in Drinking Water: Risk of Exposure to Microcystin from Public Water Systems (OMB. No. 0920-0527)—Extension—National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background

Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) can be found in terrestrial, fresh, brackish, or marine water environments. Some species of cyanobacteria produce toxins that may cause acute or chronic illnesses (including neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and skin irritation) in humans and animals (including other mammals, fish, and birds). A number of human health effects, including gastroenteritis, respiratory effects, skin irritations, allergic responses, and liver damage, are associated with the ingestion of or contact with water containing cyanobacterial blooms. Although the balance of evidence, in conjunction with data from laboratory animal research, suggests that cyanobacterial toxins are responsible for a range of human health effects, however, there have been few epidemiologic studies of this association. We plan to recruit 100 people whose tap water comes from a source with a current cyanobaterial bloom (i.e., M. aeruginosa) and who report drinking unfiltered tap water. We also plan to recruit 100 people who report drinking unfiltered tap water but whose tap water source is groundwater that has not been contaminated with cyanobacteria. This population will serve as our referent population for the analysis of microcystins in blood and for the clinical assays. We will administer a questionnaire and collect blood samples from all study participants. Blood samples will be analyzed using a newly developed molecular assay for levels of microcystins—the hepatotoxin produced by Micocystis aeruginosa. We also will analyze blood samples for levels of liver enzymes (a biological marker of hepatotoxicity) and for a number of clinical parameters including hepatitis infection (a potential confounder in our study). We will evaluate whether we can (1) Detect low levels of microcystins (<10 ng/ml of blood), in the blood of people who are exposed to very low levels of this toxin in their drinking water, (2) utilize clinical endpoints such as blood liver enzyme levels as biomarkers of exposure and biological effect, and (3) compare the analytical results for the exposed population with the results from the referent population. There is no cost to respondents.