Ohio Administrative Code › Title 3701 - Department of Health - Administration and Director › Chapter 3701-69 - Radon Testing › Section 3701-69-01 - Definitions

Current through all regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
(A)
								 Terms defined in this rule are intended to be used
			 only within this chapter of the Administrative Code.
(B)
								 As used in this
			 chapter:
(1)
									
			 "Active soil depressurization (ASD)" means a family of radon mitigation systems
			 involving mechanically driven soil depressurization, including subslab
			 depressurization (SSD), drain tile depressurization (DTD), block wall
			 depressurization (BWD), and submembrane depressurization (SMD).
(2)
									
			 "Altering" means to change or modify a building or building design, or to
			 revise, rather than repair, a mitigation system or mitigation system
			 design.
(3)
									 "As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA)" means every
			 reasonable effort to maintain exposures to radiation as far below the dose
			 limits as is practical consistent with the purpose for which the licensed
			 activity is undertaken.
(4)
									 "Backdrafting" means a condition where the normal
			 movement of combustion products up a flue, resulting from the buoyant forces on
			 the hot gases, is reversed, so that the combustion products can enter the
			 house. Backdrafting of combustion appliances (such as fireplaces and furnaces)
			 can occur when depressurization in the house overwhelms the buoyant force on
			 the hot gases. Backdrafting can also be caused by high air pressures or
			 blockage at the chimney or flue termination.
(5)
									 "Backer rod"
			 means a semirigid foam material resembling a rope of various diameters used to
			 fill around pipes, large cracks and gaps, etc. and to assist in making a sealed
			 penetration. For example, where a pipe is inserted through a concrete slab, a
			 length of backer rod is jammed into the opening around the pipe. Caulking is
			 then applied to the space above the backer rod and between the outside of the
			 pipe and the slab opening. The purpose of the backer rod is to hold the
			 semifluid caulk in place until it sets or hardens. It is most important that a
			 sealant only adhere to the two sides of the joint and not the base of the joint
			 (third side). This allows for a long-lasting, flexible, air-tight seal.
			 Adhesion to all three sides prevents the sealant from elongating properly and
			 causes sealant failure.
(6)
									 "Block wall depressurization (BWD)" means a radon
			 mitigation technique that depressurizes the void network within a block wall
			 foundation by drawing air from inside the wall and venting it to the
			 outside.
(7)
									 "Building" means a publicly or privately owned
			 structure consisting of any combination of foundations, walls, columns,
			 girders, beams, floors, or roofs, with or without other elements or
			 appurtenances.
(8)
									 "Business entity" means a corporation, partnership,
			 association, firm, sole proprietorship, or other entity engaged in
			 business.
(9)
									 "Check source" means a radioactive source, not
			 necessarily calibrated, that is used to confirm the continuing satisfactory
			 operation of an instrument.
(10)
									 "Clearly and
			 conspicuously" means that the print used to state the information required in a
			 radon mitigation contract either is equal in size to the print in the remainder
			 of the contract and is boldfaced or is larger than the print in the remainder
			 of the contract.
(11)
									 "Client" means any person who contracts for
			 measurement or mitigation services.
(12)
									 "Combination
			 foundations" means buildings constructed with more than one foundation type;
			 e.g., basement/crawlspace or basement/slab-on-grade.
(13)
									 "Commercial
			 building" means a type of building that is designed for commercial use,
			 including but not limited to office buildings, warehouses, retail facilities,
			 schools, recreational facilities, assisted living facilities and buildings that
			 combine these uses.
(14)
									 "Communication test" means a diagnostic test designed
			 to qualitatively measure the ability of a suction field and air flow to extend
			 through the material beneath a concrete slab floor and thus evaluate the
			 potential effectiveness of a subslab depressurization system. This qualitative
			 test is commonly conducted by applying suction on a centrally located hole
			 drilled through the concrete slab and simultaneously observing the movement of
			 smoke downward into small holes drilled in the slab at locations separated from
			 the central suction hole.
(15)
									 "Continuing
			 education (CE) credits" means those credits received for documented successful
			 completion of, or for instructing, a radon course approved by the
			 director.
(16)
									 "Crawlspace depressurization" means a radon control
			 technique designed to achieve lower air pressure in the crawlspace relative to
			 indoor air pressure by use of a fan powered vent drawing air from within the
			 crawlspace.
(17)
									 "Diagnostic tests" means procedures used to identify
			 or characterize conditions within buildings that may contribute to radon entry
			 or elevated radon levels or may provide information regarding the performance
			 of a mitigation system.
(18)
									 "Director" means the director of health or his
			 authorized representative.
(19)
									 "Drain tile
			 depressurization (DTD)" means a type of active soil depressurization system
			 where the suction point piping attaches to a drain tile or is located in the
			 gas-permeable material near the drain tile. The drain tile may be inside or
			 outside the footings of the building.
(20)
									 "Drain tile
			 loop" means a continuous length of drain tile or perforated pipe extending
			 around all or part of the internal or external perimeter of a basement or
			 crawlspace footing.
(21)
									 "Dwelling" means a single-family home or a single unit
			 within a multifamily complex.
(22)
									 "Eave" means
			 the border of a roof that overhangs any wall.
(23)
									 "Electret"
			 means a plastic disk, typically of teflon, that holds an electric charge on its
			 surface and serves as the detector in an electret ion chamber radon test
			 device.
(24)
									 "Electret ion chamber" means a radon test device
			 consisting of an electrically conducting enclosure of a known air volume, with
			 an electret as part of the interior surface, inside which radiation emitted
			 from the decay of radon and radon progeny cause ionization of the air.
(25)
									
			 "Footprint" means each foundation type in direct contact with soil or other
			 material.
(26)
									 "Foundation type" means basement, crawlspace,
			 slab-on-grade or any other construction technique approved by local building
			 code.
(27)
									 "Government entity" means the state, a state agency as
			 defined in section 1.60 of the Revised Code, a
			 political subdivision, or any entity of local government.
(28)
									 "Home
			 environment measurement" means a short-term or long-term measurement of radon
			 in a single-family home, duplex or condominium.
(29)
									 "Individual"
			 means any human being.
(30)
									 "Interfere" means to adversely or potentially
			 adversely impact the successful completion of an indoor radon measurement by
			 changing the radon or radon progeny concentrations or altering the performance
			 of measurement equipment or an indoor radon mitigation system installation or
			 operation.
(31)
									 "Laboratory analysis" means the act of analyzing by a
			 laboratory approved by the director, a radon measurement device to determine
			 the radon concentration to which it was exposed during a radon test.
(32)
									
			 "Licensee" means a person, business entity or government entity to whom a
			 license is issued.
(33)
									 "Living area" means any area in a building that is, or
			 could be, adapted for human habitation whether the area is located in a
			 basement, over a crawlspace, or situated on a slab-on-grade.
(34)
									 "Long-term
			 measurement" means measurements lasting ninety-one days or more.
(35)
									
			 "Lower limit of detection (LLD)" means the smallest amount of sample activity
			 which will yield a net count for which there is confidence at a predetermined
			 level that activity is present.
(36)
									 "Mechanically
			 ventilated crawlspace system" means a radon control technique designed to
			 increase ventilation within a crawlspace, achieve higher air pressure in the
			 crawlspace relative to air pressure in the soil beneath the crawlspace, or
			 achieve lower air pressure in the crawlspace relative to air pressure in the
			 living spaces, by use of a fan.
(37)
									 "Multifamily
			 building" means a building, three stories or less, designed to house four or
			 more families in separate units that do not have a common heating ventilation
			 and air conditioning (HVAC) system for multiple units.
(38)
									 "Passive
			 monitor" means a measurement device that does not require external power or
			 batteries to operate, such as charcoal detectors or alpha-track
			 detectors.
(39)
									 "Perimeter channel drain" means a system for
			 collecting water in a basement by means of a large gap or channel between the
			 concrete floor and the wall. Collected water may flow to aggregate beneath the
			 slot (french drain) or to a sump where it can be drained or pumped away.
(40)
									
			 "Person" means any individual, business entity, or government entity.
(41)
									
			 "Picocurie per liter (pCi/L)" means 2.22 disintegrations per minute of
			 radioactive material per liter of air.
(42)
									 "Pressure field
			 extension" means the distance that a pressure change is induced in the subslab
			 area, measured from a single or multiple suction points.
(43)
									 "Radon" means
			 both the radioactive, gaseous element produced by the disintegration of radium
			 and the short-lived radionuclides that are decay products of radon.
(44)
									
			 "Radon chamber" means a facility in which radon measurement devices or
			 detectors are exposed to known radon concentrations.
(45)
									 "Radon device
			 manufacturer" or "device manufacturer" or "manufacturer" means a person,
			 business entity or government entity which develops or manufactures radon
			 measurement devices.
(46)
									 "Radon laboratory" means a business entity or
			 government entity that analyzes air, soil, water, or passive radon detection
			 devices to determine the presence and concentration of radon in them.
(47)
									
			 "Radon mitigation" means the application or installation of methods or
			 materials to reduce airborne radon concentrations or to prevent the entry of
			 radon into the indoor atmosphere.
(48)
									 "Radon
			 mitigation contractor" means a business or government entity which performs or
			 authorizes employees to perform radon mitigation.
(49)
									 "Radon
			 mitigation specialist" means an individual who performs radon testing; provides
			 professional or expert advice on radon testing, radon exposure, health risks
			 related to radon exposure, radon mitigation, or radon entry routes; provides
			 on-site supervision of radon mitigation; or holds himself or herself out as
			 doing any of the foregoing.
(50)
									 "Radon
			 mitigation system" or "mitigation system" or "radon reduction system" means any
			 system or steps designed in whole or in part to reduce radon concentrations in
			 the indoor air of a building.
(51)
									 "Radon progeny"
			 means any combination of the short-lived decay products of radon.
(52)
									
			 "Radon resistant new construction (RRNC)" means the established United States
			 environmental protection agency (USEPA) model standards and techniques for
			 control of radon, as described in USEPA document 402-R-94-009, or any
			 substantially equivalent techniques approved by the director in writing.
(53)
									
			 "Radon test" means the act of examining a building, air, soil, or water for the
			 presence and concentration of radon, including taking air, soil, or water
			 samples, or the act of diagnosing the cause of radon contamination in a
			 building.
(54)
									 "Radon tester" means any individual who performs a
			 test to determine the presence and concentration of radon; provides
			 professional or expert advice on radon testing, radon exposure, or health risks
			 related to radon exposure; or holds himself or herself out as doing any of the
			 foregoing.
(55)
									 "Real-estate testing" means short-term measurements
			 that may be requested by a party not residing in the dwelling and that are
			 performed in, or as a result of, or in expectation of, a real-estate
			 transaction and are time-limited due to this transaction.
(56)
									 "Reentrainment"
			 means the unintended reentry into a building of radon that is being exhausted
			 from the vent of a radon mitigation system.
(57)
									 "Renewal" means
			 the reissuance of a license that is expiring.
(58)
									 "Research"
			 means scientific investigation by testing or mitigating for radon as limited by
			 section 3723.04 of the Revised
			 Code.
(59)
									 "Residential real-estate measurement" means a
			 measurement of radon in a single-family home, duplex or condominium involved in
			 a real-estate transaction. Based on the time-sensitive nature of real-estate
			 transactions, only short-term measurements are appropriate and specific
			 protocols are required.
(60)
									 "Sealing and caulking" means to plug and make
			 air-tight holes, cracks, gaps, etc. to reduce the passage of gas. Sealing and
			 caulking enhances radon reduction techniques; however, sealing and caulking
			 alone has not been shown to lower radon levels significantly or consistently
			 and therefore is not a stand-alone radon mitigation system.
(61)
									 "Short-term
			 measurement" means a measurement conducted for at least forty-eight hours and
			 up to ninety days; closed building conditions are required for measurements
			 lasting seven days or less and recommended throughout.
(62)
									 "Soil gas"
			 means the gas mixture present in soil that may contain radon.
(63)
									 "Soil gas
			 retarder" means a continuous membrane or other comparable material used to
			 retard the flow of soil gases into a building.
(64)
									 "Stack effect"
			 means the overall upward movement of air inside a building that results from
			 heated air rising and escaping through openings in the building envelope, thus
			 causing indoor air pressure in the lower portions of a building to be lower
			 than the pressure in the soil beneath or surrounding the building
			 foundation.
(65)
									 "Submembrane depressurization (SMD)" means a radon
			 control technique designed to achieve lower air pressure in the space under a
			 soil gas retarder membrane laid on the crawlspace floor and sealed, relative to
			 air pressure in the crawlspace, by use of a fan-powered vent drawing air from
			 beneath the membrane.
(66)
									 "Subslab depressurization (SSD) (Active)" means a
			 radon control technique designed to achieve lower subslab pressure relative to
			 indoor air pressure by use of a fan-powered vent drawing air from beneath the
			 concrete slab.
(67)
									 "Subslab depressurization (SSD) (Passive)' means a
			 radon control technique designed to achieve lower subslab air pressure relative
			 to indoor air pressure by use of a vent pipe (without a fan) routed through the
			 conditioned space of a building and connecting the subslab area to the outdoor
			 air. This system relies primarily on the convective flow of warmed air upward
			 in the vent to draw air from beneath the concrete slab.
(68)
									 "Suitable for
			 occupancy" means a structural area in a home currently lived in or an area not
			 currently used for occupancy, such as a basement, that an occupant or homeowner
			 could use for living space without renovations. This includes an unfinished
			 basement that could be used regularly as, for example, a recreation room,
			 playroom, exercise room or workshop.
(69)
									 "Supervision"
			 means oversight, review, and approval of work at a site prior to, during, and
			 upon completion of radon mitigation
(70) "Working level
			 (WL)" means any combination of short-lived radon progeny in one liter of air
			 that results in the ultimate emission of one hundred thirty thousand MeV of
			 alpha-particle energy. The short-lived radon progeny of radon-222 are
			 polonium-218, lead-214, bismuth-214 and polonium-214.
(71)
									 "Working level
			 month (WLM)" means a unit of exposure used to express the accumulated human
			 exposure to radon decay products. It is calculated by multiplying the average
			 radon progeny concentration in working levels to which a person has been
			 exposed by the number of hours exposed and dividing the product by one hundred
			 seventy hours per month.
Replaces: 3701-69-01