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Glossary

Glossary
page 174 Glossary
page 175

Active environmental sampling system: the use 

of an air sampling pump that pulls air at a known 

flow rate through a filter or other collection, 

which is then sent to a laboratory for analysis.

Active radon mitigation system: a system 

comprised of a vent pipe with a fan in it that 

runs from beneath the foundation slab up to 

above the roof where the radon gas is vented.

Allergen: proteins with the ability to trigger 

immune responses and cause allergic reactions 

in susceptible individuals. They are typically 

found adhered to very small particles, which 

can be airborne as well as present in settled 

household dust reservoirs.

Arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI): a safety 

device designed for homes, which works 

by responding to early arcing and sparking 

conditions in wiring to prohibit or reduce the 

potential for electrical fires.

Asbestos: an incombustible, chemical-resistant, 

fibrous material form of pure magnesium silicate 

used for fireproofing, electrical insulation, 

building materials, brake linings, and chemical 

filters.

Asthma: a complex condition that involves the 

interaction of many environmental agents, and 

genetic and other factors on different cells in the 

airway, which alters the function and expression 

of genes associated with immune responses. It 

is characterized by episodic airway obstruction 

caused by extensive narrowing of the bronchi 

and bronchioles. The narrowing is caused by 

spasm of smooth muscle, edema (swelling from 

fluid accumulation) of the mucosa, and the 

presence of mucus in the airway resulting from 

an immunologic reaction induced by allergies, 

irritants, infection, stress, and other factors in a 

genetically predisposed individual.

Attic: any story or floor of a building situated 

wholly or partly within the roof, and so designed, 

arranged, or built to be used for business, 

storage, or habitation.

Back drafting: the reversal of airflow due to 

negative pressure in chimneys, water heater 

exhaust vents and other devices, which results 

in dangerous combustion gasses being released 

into the living space.

Basement: the lowest story of a building, below 

the main floor and wholly or partially lower than 

the surface of the ground.

Blower Door: an instrument consisting of 

pressure gauges, a variable speed fan and 

temporary covering, mounted in a doorframe, 

used to pressurize and depressurize a house to 

measure air leakage. 

Building: a fixed construction with walls, 

foundation, and roof, such as a house, factory, or 

garage.

Building Envelop: the roof, walls, doors, 

foundation, windows and other penetrations in 

the exterior of a building.

Building Performance Testing: a method of 

assessing how well building ventilation and other 

systems work.

Bulk container: any metal garbage, rubbish, or 

refuse container having a capacity of 2 cubic 

yards or greater and which is equipped with 

fittings for hydraulic or mechanical emptying, 

unloading, or removal.

Carbon monoxide: a poisonous odorless, 

colorless and tasteless gas that is a byproduct 

of the incomplete combustion of carbon-based 

fuels, such as natural or liquefied propane 

gas, kerosene, oil, gasoline, wood or coal, 

and is made of a single atom of carbon and 

one atom of oxygen, which can cause human 

health problems or be fatal if present in high 

concentrations.

Case management: the assessment of health 

and social service needs, development of an 

action plan, and ongoing referral and support.

Central heating system: a single system 

supplying heat to one or more dwelling unit(s) or 

more than one rooming unit.

Chimney: a vertical shaft, usually of reinforced 

concrete, or other approved noncombustible, 

heat-resisting material enclosing one or more 

flues, for the purpose of removing products of 

combustion from solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel.

Glossary
page 176

“Cleveland Drop”: a ventilation system first 

identified in a number of Cleveland, Ohioarea houses in which air is drawn from a moist 

basement instead of a tempered (heated or 

cooled) living area, potentially resulting in 

moisture and mold being dispersed throughout 

the house.

Condensation: moisture that is created when air 

that is sufficiently warm and moist comes into 

contact with a cold surface, forming water.

Community Development Corporation: a 

type of nonprofit entity characterized by its 

community based leadership and work primarily 

in housing production and/or job creation. 

Community Development Corporations are 

typically formed by residents, small business 

owners, faith-based congregations, and other 

local stakeholders to revitalize a low and/

or moderate income community in order to 

produce affordable housing, create jobs for 

community residents, and provide a variety of 

social services within its target area. 

Cost-of-Illness: a study that qualifies the public 

health burden created by an illness by including 

all medical, non-medical, and productivity costs 

associated with an adverse health outcome.

Cost analysis: a study that focuses on the costs 

of implementing an intervention, and may also 

document the costs saved as a result of the 

intervention (or the net costs after subtracting 

the total program costs from the cost of 

illnesses).

Cost-effectiveness analysis: an analysis 

that calculates the ratio of net costs per 

improvement in health associated with the 

intervention, which is used to assess the relative 

efficiency of two or more interventions.

Cost-benefit analysis: an analysis that compares 

the costs and consequences of intervention 

strategies.

Data analysis plan: a written plan that enables 

a program to stay on track by identifying critical 

data elements that evaluators plan to study and 

report, and how they plan to justify conclusions.

Data collection plan: a written plan that 

provides direction to staff or program partners 

responsible for collecting information need to 

evaluate the program.

Detector Tubes: a glass tube containing a solid 

chemical that changes color when air containing 

a contaminate is drawn through the tube, also 

called a length-of-stain tube.

Dilapidated: in a state of disrepair or ruin and 

no longer adequate for the purpose or use for 

which it was originally intended.

Dormitory: a building or a group of rooms in a 

building used for institutional living and sleeping 

purposes by four or more persons.

Dosimeter: a device that measures and indicates 

the amount of chemical, energy, noise, x-rays or 

radioactivity, which is usually worn by a person 

to measure dose. 

Drain Trap: a U-, S- or J-shaped pipe located 

below or within a plumbing fixture, normally 

containing water to prevent gases from entering 

through the pipe.

Dwelling: any enclosed space wholly or partly 

used or intended to be used for living, sleeping, 

cooking, and eating. (Temporary housing, as 

hereinafter defined, shall not be classified as a 

dwelling.) Industrialized housing and modular 

construction that conform to nationally accepted 

industry standards and are used or intended 

for use for living, sleeping, cooking, and eating 

purposes shall be classified as dwellings.

Dwelling unit: a room or group of rooms located 

within a dwelling forming a single habitable unit 

with facilities used or intended to be used by a 

single family for living, sleeping, cooking, and 

eating.

Egress: arrangements and openings to assure a 

safe means of exit from buildings.

Electrochemical sensor: a type of chemical 

detector with a fuel cell designed to produce a 

current that is precisely related to the amount 

of chemical in the atmosphere, such as carbon 

monoxide.

Elevated blood lead level: excessive absorption 

of lead in a confirmed concentration in whole 

blood, usually measured in micrograms per 

deciliter or micrograms per liter. Such levels 

can trigger responses to reduce or eliminate 

exposure and are often established by the U.S. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and/

or local jurisdictions.

Glossary
page 177

Energy Star: a joint program of U.S. EPA and 

the U.S. Department of Energy designed to 

help save money and protect the environment 

through energy efficient products and practices.

Enterprise Green Community Standards: a 

program developed by Enterprise Community 

Partners, which incorporates an integrated 

design process in low-income housing to 

facilitate sustainable, energy conservation, 

health and other green features.

Environmental Justice: the fair treatment 

and meaningful involvement of all people 

regardless of race, color, national origin, culture, 

education, or income with respect to the 

development, implementation and enforcement 

of environmental laws, regulations and policies.

Extermination: the control and elimination of 

insects, rodents, or other pests by eliminating 

their harborage places; by removing or making 

inaccessible materials that may serve as their 

food; by poisoning, spraying, fumigating, 

trapping, or any other recognized and legal 

pest elimination methods approved by the local 

or state authority having such administrative 

authority. Extermination is one of the 

components of integrated pest management.

Fair market value: a price at which both buyers 

and sellers will do business.

Family: one or more individuals living together 

and sharing common living, sleeping, cooking, 

and eating facilities (See also Household).

Flashing: thin continuous pieces of sheet metal 

or other impervious material installed to prevent 

water from leaking into a structure through an 

angle or joint.

Flush toilet: a toilet bowl that can be flushed 

with water supplied under pressure and that is 

equipped with a water-sealed trap above the 

floor level.

Garbage: animal and vegetable waste resulting 

from handling, preparation, cooking, serving, 

and non-consumption of food.

General dilution ventilation: a system that 

moves larger volumes of air (compared to local 

exhaust ventilation) and operates by diluting 

contaminants with uncontaminated air.

Grade: the finished ground level adjacent to a 

required window.

Ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI): a home 

safety device that will turn off power to an 

affected electrical circuit when any disruption in 

current is sensed as a result of the grounding of 

an electrical appliance.

Guest: an individual who shares a dwelling unit 

in a non-permanent status. 

Habitable room: a room or enclosed floor 

space used or intended to be used for living, 

sleeping, cooking or eating purposes, excluding 

bathrooms, laundries, furnace rooms, pantries, 

kitchenettes and utility rooms of less than 

50 square feet of floor space, foyers, or 

communicating corridors, stairways, closets, 

storage spaces, workshops, and hobby and 

recreation areas.

Habitable space: space in a structure for living, 

sleeping, eating or cooking. Bathrooms, toilet 

rooms, closets, halls, storage or utility spaces, 

and similar areas are not considered habitable 

spaces.

Harborage: those areas where pests are able to 

take shelter.

Health officer: the legally designated health 

authority of the jurisdiction or that person’s 

authorized representative.

Healthy Home Rating System (HHRS): a visual 

assessment tool adapted from the British 

Housing Health and Safety Rating System 

(HHSRS) to examine 29 hazards, or categories 

of hazards, to determine the risks to occupants’ 

health and safety. Ann assessment using the 

HHRS is made based on the condition of the 

whole dwelling.

Heating device: all furnaces, unit heaters, 

cooking and heating stoves and ranges, and 

other similar devices.

Household: one or more individuals living 

together in a single dwelling unit and sharing 

common living, sleeping, cooking, and eating 

facilities (see also Family).

Glossary
page 178

Housing Health and Safety Rating System 

(HHSRS): a visual assessment tool developed in 

Great Britain that uses home assessment data 

to quantitatively rank home health. Users of 

this tool base their conclusions on the condition 

of the whole dwelling after carrying out an 

in-depth visual inspection and then using a 

formula to calculate a numerical score, to allow 

comparison of both the major and minor health 

and safety hazards.

Immunoassay: a laboratory technique that 

makes use of the specific binding between 

the antigen associated with an allergen and its 

homologous antibody in order to identify and 

qualify a substance in a sample.

Infestation: the presence within or around a 

dwelling of any insects, rodents, or other pests.

Integrated pest management: a coordinated 

approach to managing roaches, rodents, 

mosquitoes, and other pests that combines 

inspection, monitoring, treatment and 

evaluation, with special emphasis on the 

decreased use of toxic agents.

Kitchen: any room used for the storage and 

preparation of foods and containing the 

following equipment: sink or other device for 

dishwashing, stove or other device for cooking, 

refrigerator or other device for cold storage 

of food, cabinets or shelves for storage of 

equipment and utensils, and counter or table for 

food preparation.

Kitchenette: a small kitchen or an alcove 

containing cooking facilities.

Lead-based paint: any paint or coating with lead 

content equal to or greater than 1 milligram per 

square centimeter, or 0.5% by weight, pursuant 

to Title X of the Housing and Community 

Development Act of 1992.

Lead-based paint hazard: a condition in which 

exposure to lead from lead-contaminated dust, 

lead-contaminated soil, or deteriorated leadbased paint would have an adverse effect on 

human health. Lead-based paint hazards include 

deteriorated lead-based paint, leaded dust 

levels above applicable standards, and bare 

leaded soil above applicable standards.

LEED: a green building certification system 

developed by the U.S. Green Building Council 

and launched in 2000, which provides thirdparty verification that a building or community 

was designed and built using strategies aimed 

at improving performance across all the metrics, 

including energy savings, water efficiency, 

carbon dioxide emissions reduction, improved 

indoor environmental quality, and stewardship 

of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. 

LEED is the acronym for Leadership in Energy 

and Environmental Design.

Local exhaust ventilation: a system designed to 

move a relatively small amount of air (compared 

to general dilution ventilation) containing a 

contaminant at the point it is generated before 

it can enter the indoor air at large.

Logic model: a visual method of describing the 

relationships among program elements, which 

can (1) identify short-term, intermediate, and 

long-term outcomes; (2) link expected outcomes 

to a program’s intended activities and inputs; 

and (3) establish program boundaries to prevent 

“mission creep.” Elements of a logic model 

include resources or inputs, activities, outputs, 

and outcomes and impact.

Mildew: a non-technical name commonly used 

to refer to any fungus that is growing on fabrics, 

window sills or bathroom tiles.

Moisture meter: a device that measures water 

content in building materials through gauging 

changes in electrical resistance/capacitance.

Mold: a non-technical name that commonly 

refers to any fungus that is growing in the 

indoor environment or on housing exteriors. 

Molds are characterized by a visible vegetative 

body, or colony, composed of a network of 

threadlike filaments, which infiltrate the mold’s 

food or habitat. Mold colonies may appear 

cottony, velvety, granular or leathery, and may 

be white, gray, black, brown, yellow, greenish 

or other colors. They can live off many materials 

found in homes, such as wood, cellulose in the 

paper backing on drywall, insulation, wallpaper, 

glues used to bond carpet to its backing, and 

everyday dust and dirt.

Multi-Family Housing: any dwelling containing 

four or more individual dwelling units (this 

definition may vary by jurisdiction).

Glossary
page 179

Mycotoxin: a toxic metabolite, such as a volatile 

organic compound, that can be a health hazard 

to humans, birds and mammals upon exposure 

(i.e., ingestion, dermal contact or inhalation).

Occupant: any individual that is living, sleeping, 

cooking, or eating in or having possession of a 

dwelling unit or a rooming unit; except that in 

dwelling units a guest shall not be considered an 

occupant.

Outcome evaluation: an evaluation that 

focuses on the degree to which any changes 

are attributable to a program’s services or 

interventions.

Owner: any person who alone, jointly, or 

severally with others (a) shall have legal title to 

any premises, dwelling, or dwelling unit, with 

or without accompanying actual possession 

thereof, or (b) shall have charge, care or control 

of any premises, dwelling, or dwelling unit, as 

owner or agent of the owner, or as executor, 

administrator, trustee, or guardian of the estate 

of the owner.

Passive environmental sampling system: a 

system that relies on the contaminant being 

absorbed onto special collection media via 

diffusion or another sampling system that does 

not use pumps.

Passive radon mitigation system: a system that 

is comprised of a pipe that runs from beneath 

the foundation slab up through the house to 

above the roof where the radon gas vents and 

does not incorporate the use of an exhaust fan. 

A passive system can be turned into an active 

one with the installation of an exhaust fan.

Pesticide: a substance or mixture of substances 

used to control pests, such as insects, rodents, 

weeds, fungi or bacteria. 

Plumbing: all of the following supplied facilities 

and equipment: gas pipes, gas burning 

equipment, water pipes, garbage disposal 

units, waste pipes, toilets, sinks, installed 

dishwashers, bathtubs, shower baths, installed 

clothes washing machines, catch basins, 

drains, vents, and similarly supplied fixtures, 

and the installation thereof, together with all 

connections to water, sewer, or gas lines.

Privacy: the existence of conditions which will 

permit an individual or individuals to carry out 

an activity commenced without interruption 

or interference, either by sight or sound by 

unwanted individuals.

Process evaluation: an evaluation that measures 

program reach, activities and services, and 

documented program operations.

Radon: an odorless, colorless radioactive gas 

that is a decay product of uranium that moves 

through fractures and porous substrates in 

the foundations of buildings and can collect 

in high concentrations in certain areas. Radon 

may also enter a house through water systems 

in communities where groundwater is the main 

water supply, most commonly in small public 

systems and private wells (i.e., closed systems 

that do not allow radon to escape).

Rat harborage: any conditions or place where 

rats can live, nest or seek shelter.

Rat proofing: a form of construction that will 

prevent the entry or exit of rats to or from a 

given space or building, or from gaining access 

to food, water, or harborage. It consists of the 

closing and keeping closed of every opening 

in foundations, basements, cellars, exterior 

and interior walls, ground or first floors, roofs, 

sidewalk gratings, sidewalk openings, and other 

places that may be reached and entered by rats 

by climbing, burrowing, or other methods, by 

the use of materials impervious to rat gnawing 

and other methods approved by the appropriate 

authority.

Rat slab: a thin concrete slab poured over a 

durable vapor retarder, such as 6 mil or thicker 

polyethylene plastic, which covers the entire 

bare earth floors in a basement or crawl space 

to prevent rodents from burrowing through and 

entering the space.

Refuse: leftover and discarded organic and nonorganic solids (except body wastes), including 

garbage, rubbish, ashes, and dead animals.

Refuse container: a watertight container that is 

constructed of metal, or other durable material 

impervious to rodents, which is capable of being 

serviced without creating unsanitary conditions.

Glossary
page 180

Rubbish: non-putrescible solid wastes (excluding 

ashes) consisting of either: (a) combustible wastes 

such as paper, cardboard, plastic containers, 

yard clippings and wood; or (b) noncombustible 

wastes such as cans, glass, and crockery. 

Space heater: a self-contained heating 

appliance of either the convection type or the 

radiant type and intended primarily to heat only 

a limited space or area such as one room or two 

adjoining rooms.

Sphincter: a circular or structural muscle that 

maintains control over a natural body part and 

relaxes to permit release of waste material. 

Rodents release elongated droppings due to 

sphincter action, while cockroaches release 

spherical droppings because they have no 

sphincter.

Systems theory: the concept proposed to 

promote the dynamic interrelationship of activities 

designed to accomplish a unified system. 

Temporary housing: any tent, trailer, mobile 

home, or other structure used for human shelter 

that is designed to be transportable and which 

is not attached to the ground, to another 

structure, or to any utility system on the same 

premises for more than 30 consecutive days.

Thermography: a method of identifying 

moisture problems behind walls and other 

building cavities by using a special camera that 

photographs infrared spectra.

Toxic substance: any chemical product applied 

on the surface of or incorporated into any 

structural or decorative material, or any other 

chemical, biologic, or physical agent in the 

home environment or its surroundings, which 

constitutes a potential or actual hazard to human 

health at acute or chronic exposure levels.

Vapor Retarder: any material, usually plastic 

or foil, which resists diffusion of water through 

building materials. (Also called a vapor barrier.)

Volatile organic compounds: a class of carboncontaining chemicals that become gases at room 

temperature and, when inhaled, can produce a 

variety of adverse health effects.

Glossary
page 181

Abbreviations and

Acronyms

Abbreviations and Acronyms
page 182 Abbreviations and Acronyms
page 183

ADA Americans with Disabilities Act

AFCI arc fault circuit interrupter

AHHS American Healthy Homes Survey

ALA American Lung Association

AMI area median income

ANSI American National Standards Institute

APHA American Public Health Association

AFCI arc fault circuit interrupter

ASHRAE American Society of Heating, 

Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning 

Engineers

ASME American Society of Mechanical 

Engineers

ASSE American Society of Structural 

Engineers

ASTM American Society for Testing Materials

ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances and 

Disease Registry

BTU British thermal unit

CAA community action agencies

CARE U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency’s Community Action for a 

Renewed Environment program

CBO community-based organization

CBR community-based participatory 

research

CDBG Community Development Block Grant

CDC U.S. Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention

CFR Code of Federal Regulations

CHW community health worker

CLPPP Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention 

Program

CO carbon monoxide

CO2 carbon dioxide

CPR cardiopulmonary resuscitation

CPSC Consumer Product Safety Commission

CSREES U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 

Cooperative State Research, 

Education, and Extension Service

DDT dichlorodiphenyltrichlorethane

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

EBL elevated blood lead level

ELISA Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

ETS environmental tobacco smoke

FEMA Federal Emergency Management 

Agency

FHA Federal Housing Administration

GFCI ground fault circuit interrupter

HEPA high-efficiency particulate air

HHRS Healthy Home Rating Systems

HHS U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services

HHSRS Housing Health and Safety Rating 

System

HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and 

Accountability Act

HMO health maintenance organization

HQS Housing Quality Standards

HSC Home Safety Council

HUD U.S. Department of Housing and 

Urban Development

HVAC heating, ventilating and air 

conditioning

IAQ indoor air quality

ICC International Code Council

IPM integrated pest management

IPMC International Property Maintenance 

Code

Abbreviations and Acronyms
page 184

IRB Institutional Review Board

ISO International Standard Organization

kg kilogram

LEAP U.S. Department of Housing and 

Urban Development’s Lead 

Elimination Action Program

LEED Leadership in Energy and 

Environmental Design

MARIATM Multiplex Array for Indoor 

Allergens

MERV Minimum Energy Rating Value

NACCHO National Association of County and 

City Health Officers

NCEH National Center for Environmental 

Health, part of CDC

NCHH National Center for Healthy Housing

NCI National Cancer Institute

NCIPC National Center for Injury Prevention 

and Control

NHANES National Health and Nutrition 

Examination Survey

NIA National Institute on Aging

NICHD National Institute of Child Health and 

Development

NIEHS National Institute of Environmental 

Health Sciences

NIST National Institute of Standards and 

Technology

NLLAP National Lead Laboratory 

Accreditation Program

NOx Oxides of nitrogen

NSF National Science Foundation

NSLAH National Survey of Lead and Allergens 

in Housing

OHHLHC U.S. Department of Housing and 

Urban Development’s Office of 

Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard 

Control

Abbreviations and Acronyms

OSHA U.S. Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration

pCi/L picoCuries per liter

PACE-EH Protocols for Assessing Community 

Excellence in Environmental Health

PMP pest management professional

ppm parts per million

psi pound per square inch

PVC polyvinyl chloride

PW potable water

QA quality assurance

QAP quality assurance plan

QC quality control

SDWA Safe Drinking Water Act

SEER seasonal energy efficiency ratio

T&P temperature-pressure

TSP tri-sodium phosphate

UF urea-formaldehyde

UL Underwriters Laboratories

USCB U.S. Census Bureau 

USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture

USFA U.S. Fire Administration

USGS U.S. Geological Survey

VA U.S. Veteran’s Affairs

VOC volatile organic compound

WAP Weatherization Assistance Program

WHO World Health Organization

XRF X-ray fluorescence

μg/dl micrograms per deciliter