UMB Initial Radiation Safety Training (RST)
1. 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
2. The annual extremity dose limit for radiation workers in the Maryland regulations is:
Answer:
5 rem
7.5 rem
12 rem
50 rem
3. A charged particle (beta or alpha) can interact directly with matter by:
Answer:
Ionization and excitation
Compton scattering
Pair production
The photoelectric effect
4. The radioactive waste plastic jar containers should never:
Answer:
Be picked up by the lid only
Left in UV-light from a bio-safety cabinet
Both a. and b.
None of the above
5. 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
6. All of the following should be worn to prevent absorption of radioactive material through the skin except?
Answer:
A lab coat
Protective eye wear
Sandal with no socks
Gloves
7. 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
8. All radioactive waste containers should be labeled with:
Answer:
The isotope and activity
The chemical composition of liquids if the waste container is for liquid radioactive or scintillation vial waste
The date that the isotope and activity were assayed
All of the above
9. 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
10. A radioactive atom is one that has:
Answer:
Excess orbital electrons and therefore, an overall negative charge
Excess number of electrons in the nucleus
An equal number of neutrons and protons in the nucleus with no excess energy
None of the above
11. As you are transferring the stock solution containing 0.1 Curies of P-32 labeled proteins, you accidentally tip its contents onto your lab coat, shoes, and the floor. Good radiation protection practice dictates that you would:
Answer:
Inform the other people in the room that you have spilled the radioactive material
Absorb the spilled solution with paper towels, while someone in the room calls the Radiation Safety Office
Remove all contaminated clothing, placing them into plastic bags and have someone assist you in surveying the area to determine the extent of the contamination
All of the above
12. Nitrogen-16 contains how many protons and neutrons in its nucleus?
Answer:
9 protons and 7 neutrons
8 protons and 8 neutrons
7 protons and 9 neutrons
6 protons and 10 neutrons
13. 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
14. 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
15. Photons (e.g., gamma and x-rays) can interact directly with matter by:
Answer:
The photoelectric effect
Compton scattering
Pair production
All of the above
16. When you want to have a dry radioactive waste box removed from your laboratory, you should:
Answer:
Tape and close your container
Completely fill out the radioactive waste removal request form
Make sure the total activity, nuclide, assay date, and chemical identification is filled out on the Caution - Radioactive Material label
All of the above
17. 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.
18. When estimating the activity of radioactive waste you should:
Answer:
Estimate the activity as close as possible to the actual activity of the waste in the container, while still assuring that you did not underestimate
Estimate the activity way below the actual activity
Give every container 100uCi activity
None of the above
19. Which of the following items should not be placed in a radioactive waste container:
Answer:
Contaminated lead shielding
Sharps or needles that have not been placed into a sealed sharps container
Waste materials that are known to be non-radioactive
All of the above
20. A strand break in the DNA, resulting from the initial ionizing event in the molecule, is an example of what kind of biological effect:
Answer:
Unidirectional
Direct
Indirect
None of the above
21. The primary hazard from an alpha emitter is:
Answer:
An internal exposure upon intake of the material into the body
An external exposure of the skin
An external exposure to the thyroid
None of the above
22. The portable survey meter (Geiger counter) must be calibrated as follows:
Answer:
Following repairs
On an annual basis
Before the first use
All of the above
23. 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
24. The Roentgen 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
25. If not properly calibrated, a liquid scintillation counter (LSC) will usually report results in:
Answer:
Disintegrations per minute (dpm)
Counts per minute (cpm)
Millicuries (mCi)
None of the above
26. What do you need to do to become a declared pregnant worker?
Answer:
You just need to be a registered radiation worker
You need to declare in writing to the RSO that you are pregnant
Tell you supervisor and have him/her notify the RSO
All of the above
27. 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
28. The radiosensitivity of the digestive tract would be considered:
Answer:
Radiosensitive
Relatively radiosensitive
Moderately radiosensitive
Extremely radiosensitive
29. 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
30. What type of shielding is required for a low beta energy isotope like H-3?
Answer:
1 cm of plexiglas
0.02 mm of lead
5 cm of concrete
None of the above
31. The only atomic particles that can activate or make another material radioactive are:
Answer:
Alpha particles
Beta particles
Neutrons
Gammas
32. An ALARA program (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) is intended to:
Answer:
Reduce the amount of radioactive material used at a single location
Reduce the level of radiation exposure that individuals receive
Reduce the quantity of radioactive waste that is generated from an experiment
None of the above
33. Beta decay is the process of:
Answer:
The nuclear transformation of a proton into a neutron
The nuclear transformation of an electron into a proton
The atomic transformation of an electron into a beta particle
The nuclear transformation of a neutron into a proton
34. A wipe sample of your radioactive work area measures 100 cps (counts per sec) above background on your portable GM survey meter. If the efficiency of the detector for the nuclide of interest is 5%, how much activity (in dpm) is really present?
Answer:
200 dpm
20000 dpm
1200 dpm
120000 dpm
35. 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
36. 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
37. 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
38. 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
39. 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
40. What is the best way to prevent internal exposure?
Answer:
Do not eat, drink or smoke in the laboratory
Use a fume hood when working with volatile I-25
Ensure you wear protective clothing when working with radioactive material
All of the above
41. 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
42. The calibration date of the survey meter can be located on:
Answer:
The calibration sticker present on the meter
The calibration certificate that accompanies the meter upon calibration
None of the above
Both a. and b.
43. The Chart of the Nuclides:
Answer:
Lists nuclides by number of protons and neutrons
Can be used to see the line of stability for the isotopes
Can be used to determine what decay modes and products are likely for a given nuclide.
All of the above
44. 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
45. 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
46. Which organization issues the license for radioactive materials use to the University of Maryland Baltimore?
Answer:
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Maryland Department of the Environment
The Radiation Safety Committee
None of the above
47. 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
48. 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
49. During a spill of radioactive material, decontamination should be performed in the following manner:
Answer:
Facility, Equipment, Personnel
Equipment, Facility, Personnel
Personnel, Facility, Equipment
Only need to clean spill and not worry about additional items being contaminated
50. What is the average annual background exposure to a non-smoking individual living in the United States:
Answer:
125.0 millirem
0.125 rem
125.0 curies
360.0 mrem
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