Deck 5: Radiation Safety in Nuclear Medicine

Question 1

Skin that is contaminated with a radioactive material should be washed with soap or a commercial radioactive decontaminating agent

A) vigorously under tepid water.
B) vigorously under cold water.
C) gently under tepid water.
D) gently under cold water.

Answer 1

gently under tepid water.

Question 2

A nuclear medicine technologist is going to measure the wipe tests that were performed at the end of the day. The instrument with the highest efficiency for this is usually a

A) GM meter.
B) scintillation detector.
C) well counter.
D) liquid scintillation counter.

Answer 2

well counter.

Question 3

According to regulations, a radiation area requiring a sign with the radiation symbol and the words "CAUTION RADIATION AREA" is required where individuals could receive a dose equivalent to

A) 0.0005 rem/hr.
B) 0.0002 rem/hr.
C) 0.005 rem/hr.
D) 0.002 rem/hr.

Answer 3

0.005 rem/hr.

Question 4

Radiation levels outside a room are such that an individual could receive 0.30 rem in 1 hour. According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the technologist should

A) post a Caution: Radioactive Materials sign.
B) post a Radiation Area sign.
C) post a High Radiation Area sign.
D) not post a sign; it is considered an unrestricted area.

Question 5

The federal agency responsible for the regulation of the use of general x-ray-producing machines and machine-generated radioactive material (e.g., PET) isotopes is the

A) NRC.
B) EPA.
C) FDA.
D) None

Question 6

A technologist is in the room when a patient receives a therapeutic administration of ¹³¹I sodium iodide for thyroid ablation. The technologist should

A) have a bioassay before and after participating in the administration.
B) have a bioassay between 6 and 72 hours after participating in the administration.
C) only have a bioassay if the airborne concentration of the ¹³¹I is less than 10% of the annual dose.
D) only have a bioassay if the room background levels exceed 2 mrem/hr.

Question 7

Ionization meters should be used when surveying

A) contamination.
B) large sources of radioactivity.
C) very small sources of radioactivity.
D) background radiation.

Question 8

A package arrives with a surface reading of 10 mrem/hr; the label should be

A) White I.
B) Yellow II.
C) Yellow III.
D) No label is necessary

Question 9

A technologist declares her pregnancy. Her exposure should

A) not exceed 500 mrem to the fetus during gestation.
B) not exceed 50 mrem to the fetus during gestation.
C) not exceed 5 mrem to the fetus during gestation.
D) not exceed 2 mrem to the fetus during gestation.

Question 10

The Geiger-Mueller (GM) meter in a nuclear medicine department was calibrated on December 1, 2006. According to the NRC, arrangements should be made to have the meter recalibrated before

A) March 1, 2007.
B) June 1, 2007.
C) September 1, 2007.
D) December 1, 2007.

Question 11

The federal agency that is responsible for the regulation of the uses of byproduct material is the

A) NRC.
B) EPA.
C) FDA.
D) None

Question 12

According to NRC regulations, the exposure rate in mrem/hr in unrestricted areas should not exceed

A) 0.05.
B) 0.5.
C)2.
D) 10.

Question 13

It is determined that a health care worker could receive 300 millirem per year. According to NRC regulations, this worker

A) needs to be issued a personnel dosimeter.
B) does not need to be issued a personnel dosimeter.
C) needs to be issued a body and hand personnel dosimeter.
D) needs to be issued a pocket dosimeter.

Question 14

The exposure rate from a point source radioactive source is 250 mrem/hr at 2 m. What would be the exposure in mrem/hr at 3 m?

A) 13.8
B) 42
C) 111
D) 562

Question 15

According to NRC regulations, radioactive waste from P-32

A) should be shipped for land burial.
B) should be returned to the manufacturer.
C) can be held for decay-in-storage.
D) should be flushed into the sanitary sewer.

Question 16

A point source with an exposure rate of 0.20 mrem/hr is placed behind 4 HVL of lead. What is the exposure rate in mrem/hr to the technologist with the shielding in place?

A) 0.050
B) 0.800
C) 0.125
D) 0.0125

Question 17

A right-handed nuclear medicine technologist puts on a ring badge before work. The ring should probably be worn

A) on the right hand with the thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) chip facing the palm of the hand.
B) on the right hand with the TLD chip facing the back of the hand.
C) on the left hand with the TLD chip facing the palm of the hand.
D) on the left hand with the TLD chip facing the back of the hand.

Question 18

A systemic illness caused by high-dose, acute exposure to ionizing radiation that is exhibited in the blood-forming and respiratory (mucosal) tissues and appears after a whole-body dose of about 200 rad (2 Gy) is

A) marrow syndrome.
B) GI syndrome.
C) hemopoietic syndrome.
D) CNS syndrome.

Question 19

A package with a Transportation Index (TI) of 3 would indicate to the technologist that the package

A) contains 3 mCi of radioactive material.
B) will read 3 mrem on the surface.
C) will read 1 mrem at 3 m.
D) will read 3 mrem at 1 m.

Question 20

The TLDs store the energy from the exposure in matrices in the TLD material, which

A) can be read instantly.
B) serves to attenuate the radiation to assist in determining energy and quantity.
C) releases the energy by application of heat or laser light when processed.
D) darkens with the energy that is deposited and is developed later.