UMB Initial Radiation Safety Training (RST)
1. Which of the following are true statements:
Answer:
The only isotopes that can be commingled into the same waste container without approval from EHS are C-14 and H-3
Animals injected with radioactive materials are not regulated for their radioactive properties
All scintillation cocktails are non-hazardous
Once the original source vials are emptied of the radioactive materials they can be disposed in the regular trash
2. Contamination should be measured in what units?
Answer:
Disintegrations per minute (dpm) per 100 square centimeters
Counts per minute (cpm) per 100 square centimeters
Disintegrations per minute (dpm)
Millicuries (mCi)
3. The theory that small amounts of radiation are necessary for good health is:
Answer:
A lie put out by the food irradiation industry
True only if it is alpha radiation
True only if it is x and/or gamma radiation
Radiation hormesis
4. Who is responsible for ensuring that radioactive materials are used safely at the University of Maryland Baltimore?
Answer:
The Radiation Safety Officer
The Authorized User
The Radiation Worker
All of the above
5. The annual whole body radiation dose limit for radiation workers in Maryland regulations is:
Answer:
0.5 rem
3 rem
5 rem
None of the above
6. An experiment you are working on calls for the use of 135 millicuries of I-131 in one administration. The lab received 500 millicuries on 11/04 and todays date is 11/20 of the same year. 131I has a half-life of 8.02 days. The following should
Answer:
Use 135 millicuries and let the next person worry about it
You will need to order more 131I
Use the remaining 100 millicuries and borrow some from the lab next door
Use a smaller lab rat
7. Beta particles have a spectrum of energies because:
Answer:
The beta particle is emitted from the nucleus of the atom
The decay product, beta particle and antineutrino are created together and must share the decay energy
The proton that is created absorbs some of the decay energy
The decay products must conserve charge
8. A sewer disposal log must be maintained:
Answer:
Only upon disposing of material in the sink
Never needs to be filled out
On a monthly basis regardless of use
None of the above
9. A strand break in the DNA, resulting from the chemical reaction of free radicals attacking a DNA sugar, is an example of what kind of radiation induced biological effect:
Answer:
Unidirectional
Direct
Indirect
None of the above
10. An individual who is going to pick up a shipment of radioactive material from the Radiation Safety Office should:
Answer:
Have their assigned bar code ID
Have their photo ID
Be wearing their assigned whole body dosimeter
All of the above
11. A G-M detector operates by:
Answer:
Converting ionizing radiation to UV photons
Collecting the charge created by ionizations in the wall of the probe
Collecting the charge created by ionization in the gas contained in the probe
All of the above
12. The primary difference between gamma rays and x-rays is:
Answer:
Gamma rays are higher in energy
Gamma rays originate in the nucleus, X-rays originate in the electron shells
X-rays are used in medical applications
X-rays originate in the nucleus, gamma rays originate in the electron shells
13. Written notification must be provided to the Radiation Safety Office:
Answer:
When an authorized user leaves the University
When an additional room is needed for radioactive material work
When vacating a room where radioactive material was used
All of the above
14. Geiger-Mueller survey instruments:
Answer:
Can ONLY be used to report dose rate information (i.e., mR/h).
Are operated at the lowest voltage of any gas filled detector.
Should only be relied upon for qualitative measurements.
Can be used to determine exactly how much contamination is present.
15. Isotopes are:
Answer:
Atoms with a unique arrangement of protons and neutrons
Atoms with the same number of protons and neutrons
Atoms with differing numbers of protons and neutrons
Atoms with the same number of protons, but differing numbers of neutrons
16. A major concern when selecting shielding for high energy beta emitters is:
Answer:
Generation of secondary x-rays from bremsstrahlung radiation
Making the shielding thick enough to prevent backscatter from occurring
Shielding the neutrons that will be released as the betas interact with the shielding
None of the above
17. The maximum range of a beta particle in air is determined by:
Answer:
The activity of the isotope
The half-life of the radioactive atom
The energy of the beta particle
All of the above
18. Contamination surveys (wipe tests) must be recorded as follows:
Answer:
Cpm
Wipe tests must be performed but not documented
Dpm
mR/hr
19. Before discarding the isotope-shipping box into regular trash, an individual should:
Answer:
Remove all radiation labels
Obliterate the words Caution, Radioactive Materials from the box
Both a. and b.
No extra precautions are needed; the box can be disposed of as is
20. A charged particle (beta or alpha) can interact directly with matter by:
Answer:
Ionization and excitation
Compton scattering
Pair production
The photoelectric effect
21. The Rem is:
Answer:
The unit of dose equivalent that is equal to the dose in rad times the quality factor
A unit of exposure to x or gamma radiation based on the ionizations that these radiations produce in air
A unit of absorbed dose for any ionizing radiation that is equal to 100 ergs of absorbed energy per gram of substance
None of the above
22. Ion chambers are useful for:
Answer:
Detecting contamination on a given surface
Locating a missing gamma emitting source
Determining exposure risks from unknown sources
None of the above
23. The purpose of the UMB Radiation Safety Program is to:
Answer:
Burden the user with excessive regulations
Encourage the use of radioactive material in clinical and research activities
Maintain exposures of personnel to ionizing radiation from radioactive materials and radiation producing devices as low as reasonably achievable
All of the above
24. Before sending in a request to have radioactive animal waste removed from your laboratory, you should:
Answer:
Double bag the animal carcass and place it into a freezer
Label the bag with isotope, activity, date, and authorized user name
Call EHS for assistance if you have questions
All of the above
25. The half life of P-32 is approximately 14 days, if you start with 1000 uCi, after 28 days how much P-32 would remain?
Answer:
1000 uCi
500 uCi
250 uCi
None
26. If you pass a beam of x-rays through 3 half value layers (HVLs) of a material, what will be the resulting beam intensity?
Answer:
97%
33.30%
12.50%
3%
27. Eating, smoking, drinking, or the storage of food, beverages, and tobacco in radioactive materials areas is prohibited because:
Answer:
Laboratory cleanliness is easier to maintain
Radiation protection organizations enjoy making people uncomfortable
The radiation causes food to spoil rapidly
It reduces the possibility of internal contamination
28. When exposed to ionizing radiation, there is a chance that an ionizing event may occur in an atom(s). This event may affect the molecules, cells, tissues, organs and the whole body. There will be some effects from this exposure. This statement is true:
Answer:
Whether the dose is small or large
Only when the dose is large
When the dose is only from x or gamma rays
Only when the dose is from high energy betas
29. A bioassay is a measurement used to determine:
Answer:
The extent of damage caused by exposure to an unknown source of radiation
The presence of radioactive material in the body
The current physical conditioning of the body
The length of time it will take for the body to repair damage caused by exposure to ionizing radiation
30. The Radiation Safety Office must be contacted in the following situations:
Answer:
Prior to ordering radioactive material from a vendor
Prior to transferring radioactive material to another authorized user and/or receiving radioactive material from an authorized user
Prior to any changes involving authorization (i.e. rooms used, protocols)
All of the above
31. What additional precautions are taken when a person declares they are pregnant?
Answer:
Their dosimeter frequency changes from quarterly to monthly, if worker was not already badged monthly
They can no longer work in a radioactive material lab
They can only work one day a week with radioactive material
None of the above
32. Items that have been labeled with a Caution - Radioactive Material sign can be disposed of as normal trash when:
Answer:
They have been surveyed and found to be free of contamination
The label has been defaced or removed
Both a. and b.
None of the above.
33. If you exceeded one of the ALARA Levels, which level would require you to send a response to the Radiation Safety Office?
Answer:
Level I
Level II
All of the above
None of the above
34. A contamination survey (quantitative) must be performed:
Answer:
During each month radioactive material is present (in use or storage) in the lab
After every use of 1 mCi or more of P-32
Following a spill
All of the above
35. When first using a radiation detection instrument, you should:
Answer:
Familiarize yourself with the instruments operation
Check the detector response to radiation using a known source of radiation
Perform a battery check and check instrument calibration
All of the above
36. You can send your radioactive waste removal request form to EHS by:
Answer:
Web site http://www.ehs.umaryland.edu/waste/forms/radwasteform.cfm
Fax to the EHS office at 6-8212
Campus Mail to the HWD in EHS building at 714 West Lombard Street
All of the above
37. During a survey with a GM detector, the probe should be held:
Answer:
At least 6 inches away from the surface while it is rapidly passed back and forth
At contact with the surface while moving slowly
Near contact with the surface while moving slowly
None of the above
38. Which of the following is NOT a type of detector:
Answer:
Ion chamber
G-M counter
NaI
HVL
39. Radioactive materials Receipt/Use/Disposal forms issued by the Radiation Safety Office with every radioisotope delivered to the authorized user should be:
Answer:
Filled out each time material is withdrawn from the stock vial
Stored in the laboratory's radiation safety records
Returned to the Radiation Safety Office when the isotope is expended, transferred and/or disposed of as waste
All of the above
40. A sample of Phosphorus-32 has an initial activity of 10 mCi. How much radioactive material is left after 42 days later (P-32 half-life = 14.28 days):
Answer:
0.625 mCi
1.300 mCi
2.500 mCi
5.000 mCi
41. The energy of a particular beta particle is most likely to be:
Answer:
The maximum beta energy for the nuclide
Approximately 1/2 of the maximum beta energy for the nuclide
Approximately 1/3 of the maximum beta energy for the nuclide
Approximately 1/10 of the maximum beta energy for the nuclide
42. Two foot cubic boxes should only be used for:
Answer:
Liquid waste
Dry solid waste
Both a. and b.
None of the above
43. Who is not required to wear a dosimeter?
Answer:
Anyone who works with only H-3 and/or C-14
Anyone who can possibly receive 10% of the dose limit
Anyone who works with a radiation-producing machine
All of the above
44. To prevent the spread of contamination after a minor spill, a person should immediately:
Answer:
Take off their lab coat and gloves
Exit the area and call Radiation Safety for assistance
Cover the spill with absorbent material
Wash the bench top after working and before conducting a contamination check
45. The least radiosensitive mammalian cells are:
Answer:
Nerve cells
Germ cells
White blood cells
Endothelial cells
46. Regarding receipt of package from Radiation Safety, the following statement is true:
Answer:
It is acceptable to pick up both the package and lunch at the same time
It is acceptable to pick up the package at the end of the day and take home with you until the following morning
It is acceptable to take the package with you while you have lunch
The package must be directly taken back to the lab
47. The radioactive waste log sheet needs to be filled out:
Answer:
Only after the container is full and going to be disposed of
As soon as the first radioactive material goes into the container and every addition of radioactive waste thereafter
Never needs to be filled out
All the above
48. Low energy gamma emitters, such as I-125, are best detected during a survey for fixed contamination by using:
Answer:
A GM thin-window detector
A sodium iodide (NaI) detector
A liquid scintillation counter
None of the above
49. The purpose of the radiation dosimeter e.g., film badge, is to:
Answer:
To provide a temporary record of the dose of ionizing radiation received
To protect the individual from ionizing radiation
To provide a permanent record of individual exposure to ionizing radiation
None of the above
50. What radionuclides can be placed in the same waste container?
Answer:
H-3 and C-14
H-3 and P-32
C-14 and S-35
P-32 and S-35
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