Dear Participants,

Thank you for taking part in this survey aimed at understanding pulmonary and laryngeal health in beekeepers. We value your participation and assure you that your privacy and personal information are of utmost importance to us.

HIPAA Compliance Assurance: This survey is designed to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations to safeguard the privacy and confidentiality of your information. HIPAA is a federal law that protects the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information, known as Protected Health Information (PHI). We want to clarify that this survey does NOT collect any personal identifiers, and therefore, it does not fall under the legal definition of PHI. Your data will be fully unlabeled and anonymous.

Data Collection and Use: The information collected in this survey will be used solely for research purposes to study the impact of beekeeping on pulmonary and laryngeal health. Your responses are anonymized and will be aggregated, ensuring that individual responses cannot be traced back to you. We will use the data to analyze trends and insights to enhance our understanding of the topic.

Confidentiality: All data collected through this survey will be treated as confidential and stored securely. Only the research team, consisting of qualified researchers, will have access to the data. Any reports or publications resulting from this survey will present the findings in an aggregated and de-identified manner, ensuring individual privacy is maintained.

Data Security: We have implemented appropriate security measures to protect your data from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Our data collection platform, including Google Forms, is configured to ensure the utmost security of your responses.

Voluntary Participation: Participation in this survey is entirely voluntary, and you have the right to withdraw at any time without providing any reason. Your decision to participate or not will have no impact on your relationship with the survey organizers or any other entity.

Contact Information: To maintain your anonymity and protect your privacy, please refrain from providing any personal contact information within the survey responses. If you have any questions or concerns about the survey or your data, you can contact us through the email provided below.

Contact Email: mdelbuonoapps@gmail.com

By proceeding with this survey, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this HIPAA compliance statement and agree to the terms outlined herein.

Thank you for your valuable contribution to this research endeavor.

Sincerely,

Milan Del Buono