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American Healthy Homes Survey: A National Study Of Residential Related Hazards
K Bradham1, R Highsmith1, L Sheldon1, D Stout1, S Harper1, S Vesper2, P Jones1, M Medina-Vera1, R Fortmann1, E Coppedge1, C Croghan1, W Friedman3, E Pinzer3, P Ashley3, D Cox4, G Dewalt4
1 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory, RTP, NC.
2 - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH.
3 - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, OHHLHC, Washington, DC.
4 - QuanTech, Rosslyn, VA.
The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA), National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD), Offi ce of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control conducted a national survey of housing related hazards in US residences. The collaborative study, the American Healthy Homes Survey (AHHS), was designed to assess environmental concentrations of lead, allergens, mold, pesticides, and arsenic in and around US residences. The questionnaire and environmental data were collected from a stratified, nationally representative sample of approximately 1,100 US residences. The data collected in this study are being used to develop new distributions of residential concentrations and estimate potential risk, and to produce a high quality database for examining changes in the occurrence and magnitude of these environmental concentrations and risks over time.
The mold data collected are being used by EPA to assess the occurrence and concentration of specific molds and to characterize spatial trends in indoor mold concentrations. The arsenic data are being used by EPA to assess concentrations of arsenic in indoor house dusts, soil immediately outside the residence, and soil near wood structures located outside the homes.
The pesticides residue data are being used to provide EPA with nationally representative data characterizing current-use pesticide residue concentrations related to applicator and/or homeowner applied pesticides and to reported use of household products. The data will be the foundation of a dataset for future pesticide residue trend analyses. Preliminary fi ndings based on the chemical analysis of 15% of the total hard surface wipe samples for residential use insecticides showed that the concentration of 25 insecticides ranged from below the limit of detection to 102 ng/cm2. Concentrations of organophosphate, organochlorine and pyrethroid insecticides were measured. Compounds long removed from the consumer market (e.g. DDT, chlordane) and other recently deregistered compounds (e.g. chlorpyrifos, diazinon) were detected.
The real-world data collected from AHHS will be used as input variables to evaluate and improve EPA’s exposure and dose modeling tools. Results from this study will be used by HUD, EPA, and risk asessors from other organizations to identify areas for future research, develop improved mitigation/risk reduction strategies, and reduce future health risks from environmental hazards.
Disclaimer: Although this work was reviewed by EPA and approved for publication, it may not necessarily reflect official Agency policy.