Overview of HHI Technical Studies Research

In December 1998, HUD convened a meeting of the Nation's leading experts on housing, public health, building science, asthma, lead poisoning, allergens, pesticides, medicine, code enforcement and other disciplines to provide advice on the implementation of the Healthy Homes Initiative and to examine overall issues associated with HUD's goal of evaluating and controlling housing-based hazards. This group of experts confirmed that, while enough is known to implement the Healthy Homes Initiative, key scientific issues and related questions remain. Resolution of these issues could provide critical information on the health-housing connection. These issues were identified in The Healthy Homes Initiative: A Preliminary Plan and in the Notice of Funding Availability for Healthy Homes Research Program. This page provides a summary of program needs / issue areas and links to project abstracts.

Summary of Program Needs

Hazard Evaluation

	Design of a cost-effective survey protocol to identify homes for moisture control interventions, and to screen out homes where structural or other conditions make interventions infeasible or impractical.
	Development of an efficient strategy for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions in preventing moisture intrusion and controlling mold growth in housing.
	Development of low-cost analytical techniques for the rapid, on-site determination of environmental contaminants of concern, including bioaerosols, pesticides, and allergens.

Hazard Control

	Development of a set of intervention strategies that take into account the range of conditions likely to be encountered in older inner-city housing while maximizing the number of housing units that receive an intervention.
	Integration of mold-safe work practices with lead-safe work practices for housing maintenance, repair, and improvements.
	Evaluation of residential Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) hazard control technologies, including controlling excess moisture and dust, and improving indoor air quality.

Technical Studies Activities

HUD currently supports competitively-funded grants, contracts, and interagency agreements for technical activities in the following areas. Click on any of these areas to view a list of specific activities.

Healthy homes research projects

Healthy homes education/outreach projects (include a research component)

Healthy homes demonstration projects (include a research component)

Mold and moisture control projects

Codes and standards

Fire and CO safety

Energy-efficient Interventions and High Performance Housing

Lead hazard control research

Long-term effectiveness of lead hazard control interventions

Survey research

Healthy Homes Research Projects

	Improving the Lead Dust Final Clean Protocol to Reduce Cockroach Allergen Exposure
	Healthy Public Housing
	Wisconsin Head Start Healthy Homes Program

Healthy Homes Outreach/Education Projects

	Help Yourself to a Healthy Home
	Web-based "E-house"
	Los Angeles Healthy Homes Outreach Project

Healthy Homes Demonstration Projects

Mold and Moisture Control Projects

	Cuyahoga County Urban Moisture and Mold Program
	Mold and Moisture in Inner-city Housing - Chicago
	Develop an In-Situ Moisture Content Sensor

Codes and Standards

	Revision of Basic Housing Inspection Manual
	Develop and Initiate a Codes and Standards Strategy for the Healthy Homes Initiative

Fire and CO Safety

	Evaluate Fire Safety Measures for Healthy Homes
	Enhance the Performance of Fire/CO Detectors for Healthy Homes
	Evaluate the Performance of Modern Residential Smoke Alarms

Energy-efficient Interventions and High Performance Housing

	Healthy Public Housing
	Weatherization Plus Health   Program Materials and Protocols   Weatherization Chart   Forms Package
	Read This Before you Design, Build or Renovate
	Energy Efficient Healthy Home Retrofit (MS Word)
	Energy Efficient HH Report (MS Word)

Long-term Effectiveness of Healthy Homes Interventions

Wisconsin Head Start Healthy Homes Program

Cleaning Strategies

Improving the Lead Dust Final Clean Protocol to Reduce Cockroach Allergen Exposure

Survey Research

	National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing
	Allergen Results from First National Environmental Health Survey of Child Care Center