Section 422.20 Definitions

Section 422

Section 422.20  Definitions

As used in this Part:

"Act" means the Radon Industry Licensing Act [420

ILCS 44].

"Active Mitigation

System", also known as "Active Soil Depressurization" or

"ASD", means

a family of radon mitigation systems involving

mechanically driven soil depressurization, including sub-slab depressurization

(SSD), drain tile depressurization (DTD), block wall depressurization (BWD),

and sub-membrane depressurization (SMD).

[420 ILCS 52]

"Agency" means the Illinois Emergency Management

Agency (IEMA).

"Altering" means to change or modify a building or

building design, or to revise, rather than repair, a mitigation system or

mitigation system design.

"As Low As Is Reasonably Achievable" or

"ALARA" means making every reasonable effort to maintain exposures to

radiation as far below the dose limits in 32 Ill. Adm. Code:  Chapter II,

Subchapters b and d as is practical consistent with the purpose for which the

licensed or registered activity is undertaken, taking into account the state of

technology, the economics of improvements in relation to the state of

technology, the economics of improvements in relation to benefits to the public

health and safety and other societal and socioeconomic considerations, and in

relation to utilization of nuclear energy and licensed or registered sources of

radiation in the public interest.

"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.

"Backer Rod" means a semi-rigid foam material

resembling a rope of various diameters used to fill around pipes, etc., and to

assist in making a sealed penetration

nces (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.

"Backer Rod" means a semi-rigid foam material

resembling a rope of various diameters used to fill around pipes, 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 semi-fluid caulk in place until it sets or hardens.

It is most important that a sealant only adhere to the 2 sides of the joint and

not the base of the joint (third side).  Adhesion to all 3 sides will prevent

the sealant from elongating properly and will cause sealant failure.

"Batch" means a group of passive detectors

manufactured by the same entity at the same time.

"Block

Wall Depressurization" 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.

"Client" means any person who contracts for

measurement or mitigation services.

"Combination Foundations" means buildings

constructed with more than one foundation type, e.g., basement/crawlspace or

basement/slab-on-grade.

"Commercial Building" means

a type of building that is designed for commercial use, but not limited to

office buildings, warehouses, retail facilities, schools, recreational

facilities, assisted living facilities and buildings that combine these uses.

"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 sub-slab depressurization system

rehouses, retail facilities, schools, recreational

facilities, assisted living facilities and buildings that combine these uses.

"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 sub-slab 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.  (See also Pressure Field Extension.)

"Continuing Education Credits" or "CE

Credits" means those continuing education credits received for documented

successful completion of Agency-approved CE courses or for instructing an

approved CE course.

"Crawlspace" means a foundation type with an open

area beneath the livable space of a dwelling that typically has either a

concrete slab or earthen floor.  The crawlspace can have an open height of a

few inches to several feet.  The crawlspace may or may not be ventilated to the

outdoors.

"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. (See also

Mechanically Ventilated Crawlspace System.)

"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.

"Drain Tile Depressurization" or "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

radon entry or elevated radon levels or may provide information regarding the

performance of a mitigation system.

"Drain Tile Depressurization" or "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.

"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.

"Dwelling" means a single family home or a single

unit within a multiple family complex.

"Eave" means the border of a roof that overhangs

any wall.

"Electret Ion Chamber" or "Electret"

means an electrostatically charged piece – usually a disk – of Teflon, called

an electret, located inside an electrically conducting plastic chamber of a

known air volume.  The electret serves as a source of high voltage needed for

the chamber to operate as an ion chamber.  It also serves as a sensor for the

measurement of ionization in air.  The ions produced inside the sensitive

volume of the chamber are collected by the electret causing a depleted charge.

The measurement of the depleted charge during the exposure period is a measure

of integrated ionization during the measurement period.  The electret charge is

read before and after the exposure using a specially built non-contact electret

voltage reader.

"Footprint" means each foundation type in direct

contact with soil or other material.

"Foundation Type" means basement, crawlspace,

slab-on-grade or any other construction technique approved by local building

code.

"Government Entity" means the State, a State

agency, a political subdivision, or any entity of local government.

"HVAC" means heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

"Home Environment Measurement" means a short term or long term

measurement of radon in a single family home, duplex or condominium

, crawlspace,

slab-on-grade or any other construction technique approved by local building

code.

"Government Entity" means the State, a State

agency, a political subdivision, or any entity of local government.

"HVAC" means heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

"Home Environment Measurement" means a short term or long term

measurement of radon in a single family home, duplex or condominium.

"Individual" means any human being.

"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.

[420 ILCS 44/15]

"Laboratory" means any organization that analyzes or

calibrates radon or radon progeny measurement devices or detectors.

"Laboratory Analysis" means

the act of analyzing

the radon or radon progeny concentrations with passive devices, or the act of calibrating

radon or radon progeny measurement devices, or the act

of exposing radon

or radon progeny devices to known concentrations of radon or radon progeny as a

compensated service.

[420 ILCS 44/15]

"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.

"Long

Term Measurement" means measurements lasting 91 days or more; closed

building conditions are not required, but are recommended.  Long term measurements

are not time-sensitive and, therefore, real estate testing options do not

apply.

"Measurement" means any radon or radon progeny

tests, laboratory analysis, or exposure in a known radon or radon progeny

environment, as in a radon  chamber

Long

Term Measurement" means measurements lasting 91 days or more; closed

building conditions are not required, but are recommended.  Long term measurements

are not time-sensitive and, therefore, real estate testing options do not

apply.

"Measurement" means any radon or radon progeny

tests, laboratory analysis, or exposure in a known radon or radon progeny

environment, as in a radon  chamber.

"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. (See also

Crawlspace Depressurization.)

"Mitigation" means

the act of repairing or

altering a building or building design for the purpose in whole or in part of

reducing the concentration of radon in the indoor atmosphere.

[420 ILCS

44/15]

"Mitigation System" means any system or steps

designed to reduce radon concentrations in the indoor air of a building.

"Multi-Family Building"

means a building, 3 stories or less, designed to house more than 4 families in

separate units that do not have a common HVAC system for multiple units.

"New Residential Construction"

means

any original construction of a single-family home or a dwelling

containing 2 or fewer apartments, condominiums, or town houses

. [420 ILCS

52]

"NIST" means the United States Department of

Commerce, Technology Administration, National Institute of Standards and

Technology (formerly National Bureau of Standards).

"Passive Monitor" means a measurement tool that

does not require external power or batteries to operate, such as charcoal

detectors or alpha track detectors

2 or fewer apartments, condominiums, or town houses

. [420 ILCS

52]

"NIST" means the United States Department of

Commerce, Technology Administration, National Institute of Standards and

Technology (formerly National Bureau of Standards).

"Passive Monitor" means a measurement tool that

does not require external power or batteries to operate, such as charcoal

detectors or alpha track detectors.

"Passive

New Construction Pipe" or "PNC" means

a pipe installed in new

construction that relies solely on the convective flow of air upward for soil

gas depressurization and may consist of multiple pipes routed through

conditioned space from below the foundation to above the roof

. [420 ILCS

52]

"Performance Audit"

means an examination of a program, function or operation or of the management

systems, procedures and records of a radon contractor to assess whether the

entity is complying with the Radon Industry Licensing Act [420 ILCS 44], this

Part and its Quality Assurance Program.

"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.

"Person" means an entity including, but not limited

to,

an individual,

company, corporation,

firm, group, association,

partnership, joint venture, trust, or government agency or subdivision.

[420 ILCS 44/15]

"Picocurie Per Liter" or "pCi/L" means

2.2 disintegrations per minute of radioactive material per liter of air.

"Pressure Field Extension" means the distance that

a pressure change is induced in the sub-slab area, measured from a single or

multiple suction points. (See also Communication Test.)

"QAP" means Quality Assurance Program.

"Radon" means a

gaseous radioactive decay

product of uranium or thorium.

[420 ILCS 44/15]

"Radon Chamber" means a facility in which radon

measurement devices or detectors are exposed to known radon concentrations

stance that

a pressure change is induced in the sub-slab area, measured from a single or

multiple suction points. (See also Communication Test.)

"QAP" means Quality Assurance Program.

"Radon" means a

gaseous radioactive decay

product of uranium or thorium.

[420 ILCS 44/15]

"Radon Chamber" means a facility in which radon

measurement devices or detectors are exposed to known radon concentrations.

"Radon Contractor" or "Contractor" means

a

person licensed to perform radon or radon progeny mitigation or to perform

measurements

of

radon or radon progeny in an indoor atmosphere.

[420 ILCS 44/15]

"Radon Progeny" means any

combination of the

radioactive decay products of radon.

[420 ILCS 44/15]

"Radon Resistant Construction"

means

the installation of passive new construction pipe during new

residential construction.

[420 ILCS 52]

"Radon

Service Provider" means

a radon contractor,

laboratory, or person who performs laboratory analysis.

"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.

"Re-Entrainment" means the unintended re-entry into

a building of radon that is being exhausted from the vent of a radon mitigation

system.

"Renewal" means

issuance of a license that is expiring, has expired or has been previously

terminated.

"Research" means Agency-approved scientific

investigation by testing and/or mitigating for radon or radon progeny.

"Residential Building Code"

means

an ordinance, resolution or law that establishes standards applicable

to new residential construction

. [420 ILCS 52]

"Residential Building Contractor"

means

any individual, corporation or partnership that constructs new

residential

buildings. [420 ILCS 52]

"Residential Real Estate Measurement" means a measurement of

radon in a single family home, duplex or condominium involved in a real estate

transaction

resolution or law that establishes standards applicable

to new residential construction

. [420 ILCS 52]

"Residential Building Contractor"

means

any individual, corporation or partnership that constructs new

residential

buildings. [420 ILCS 52]

"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.

"School Screening Measurement" means a measurement of radon

performed by school district staff in accordance with the School Code [105 ILCS

5].

"Sealing and Caulking" means to plug and make tight

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.

"Short

Term Measurement" means measurements conducted for at least 48 hours and

up to 90 days; closed building conditions are required for measurements lasting

seven days or less and recommended throughout.

"Soil Gas" means the gas mixture present in soil that

may contain radon.

"Soil

Gas Retarder" means a continuous membrane of 6 mil (3 mil cross-laminated)

polyethylene or equivalent flexible material used to retard the flow of soil

gases into a building.

"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.

"Subfloor" means a

concrete slab and other approved permanent floor system that directly contacts

the ground and is within the walls of the living spaces of the building

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.

"Subfloor" means a

concrete slab and other approved permanent floor system that directly contacts

the ground and is within the walls of the living spaces of the building.

"Sub-Membrane Depressurization" or "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 vent or fan-powered

vent drawing air from beneath the membrane.

"Sub-Slab Depressurization (Active)" or "SSD (Active)"

means a radon control technique designed to achieve lower sub-slab pressure

relative to indoor air pressure by use of a fan-powered vent drawing air from

beneath the concrete slab.

"Sub-Slab Depressurization (Passive)" or "SSD (Passive)"

means a radon control technique designed to achieve lower sub-slab 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 sub-slab 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.

"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.

"USEPA" means the United States Environmental

Protection Agency.

"Working Level" or "WL" means any

combination of short-lived radon progeny in 1 liter of air that will result in

the ultimate emission of 1.3 x 10

5

MeV of potential alpha particle

energy

s.  This includes an unfinished basement that could be used regularly

as, for example, a recreation room, playroom, exercise room or workshop.

"USEPA" means the United States Environmental

Protection Agency.

"Working Level" or "WL" means any

combination of short-lived radon progeny in 1 liter of air that will result in

the ultimate emission of 1.3 x 10

5

MeV of potential alpha particle

energy.  The short-lived radon progeny for radon-222 are:  polonium-218,

lead-214, bismuth-214 and polonium-214.

"Working Level Month" or "WLM" means a

unit of exposure used to express the accumulated human exposure to radon decay

products.  It is calculated by multiplying the average working level to which a

person has been exposed by the number of hours exposed and dividing the product

by 170.