UMB Initial Radiation Safety Training (RST)
1. 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. You are involved in an accident that results in a 300 REM (3 Sv) exposure in a very short period of time. With in the next 60 days you can expect to experience the following:
Answer:
Cataracts
Leukemia
Skin burns
All of the above
5. 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
6. The Hazardous Waste Division of EHS:
Answer:
Charges for all radioactive waste to be removed from your laboratory
Will not provide laboratories with any radioactive waste containers
Will not remove radioactive waste directly from the laboratory
Requests that Authorized Users utilize non-hazardous scintillation cocktails in their research
7. The Caution - Radioactive Material label on each waste container should be used to annotate only the total activity of each nuclide and final assay date of the radioactive waste in the container. What should be used to keep a running total?
Answer:
Anything you can write on
Radioactive Waste Disposal Log Sheet
Nothing because you don’t need to keep a running total
Caution Radioactive Material label
8. 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
9. 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
10. 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
11. 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
12. It is appropriate to:
Answer:
Place liquid radioactive waste in the dry waste boxes
Pour liquid radioactive waste down the drain regardless of the chemical composition
Label all liquid scintillation vial containers with the name of the scintillation cocktail
Place lead shielding and syringes into the dry waste boxes
13. 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
14. Radioactive waste should:
Answer:
Be disposed in the regular trash
Be segregated by isotope and waste form
Be placed in the corridors when the containers are full
Not be labeled with an activity until the container is full
15. 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
16. 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
17. 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
18. 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
19. 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
20. 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
21. Beta radiation is characterized by:
Answer:
Particles of nuclear origin having properties identical to an electron
Particles of nuclear origin having properties identical to a helium nucleus
High energy electromagnetic radiation of nuclear origin which is very penetrating
None of the above
22. 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
23. 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.
24. 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
25. 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
26. Detection efficiency is calculated by:
Answer:
Dividing the number of microcuries by the decay constant (0.693/T)
Dividing the number of counts by the number of actual disintegrations
Dividing the atomic weight of an atom by its Z number
None of the above
27. During an accidental medical exposure, you and your lab colleagues find that you have experienced a 100 rem (1 Sv) exposure in a very short period of time. You can expect to have:
Answer:
An incidence of vomiting in 50% of those present
Moderate to severe leukopenia
A blood transfusion and antibiotics administered
No noticeable ill effects and an excellent prognosis
28. 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
29. 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
30. 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
31. The Becquerel is a:
Answer:
Unit of radioactivity that equals 1 disintegration per second
Unit of radioactivity that equals 2.22E6 disintegrations per minute
Unit of radioactivity that equals 1 disintegration per minute
Unit of radioactivity that equals 2.22E9 disintegrations per minute
32. 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
33. The annual extremity dose limit for radiation workers in the Maryland regulations is:
Answer:
5 rem
7.5 rem
12 rem
50 rem
34. 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)
35. The Geiger-Mueller region differs from the other voltage regions in that:
Answer:
It has the highest voltage of all the regions
It has the highest efficiency of all the regions
It does not distinguish between particles of different energies
All of the above
36. 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
37. The millicurie is a:
Answer:
Unit of radioactivity that equals 1 disintegration per second
Unit of radioactivity that equals 2.22E6 disintegrations per minute
Unit of radioactivity that equals 1 disintegration per minute
Unit of radioactivity that equals 2.22E9 disintegrations per minute
38. How long should radioactive materials users keep dosimetry exposure reports on file?
Answer:
10 years
5 years
2 years
1 year
39. 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%
40. 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
41. 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
42. When should a urine analysis be performed?
Answer:
When you have worked with volatile I-125
When you work with a large amount of Tritium
When you are involved in a major spill or accident
Both b. and c.
43. 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
44. The half-life of a radioactive element is:
Answer:
The length of time it takes to decay to background levels
A unit of radioactivity that equals 2.22E6 disintegrations per minute
The length of time it takes for one-half of the atoms to decay
None of the above
45. 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
46. 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
47. 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
48. 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
49. 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
50. 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
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