Safety Precautions Quiz
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5 questions, one answer each
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1. Which of these is an effect of ionising radiation on living cells?
- A. Improved cell repair
- B. Cell death and mutation
- C. Increased fertility
- D. No known effects
2. What material is needed to effectively shield against gamma radiation?
- A. A sheet of paper
- B. A few millimetres of aluminium
- C. Thick lead or concrete
- D. Nothing — gamma radiation cannot be shielded
3. What are the three general precautions used to reduce exposure to a radioactive source?
- A. Increase temperature, reduce pressure, add shielding
- B. Reduce exposure time, increase distance, use shielding
- C. Increase exposure time, reduce distance, remove shielding
- D. Use a Geiger counter, wear gloves, hold your breath
4. A worker handles a sealed source that only emits alpha radiation. They wear no special shielding but stand close to it for a long period, occasionally without gloves. Explain the actual risk here, given what alpha particles can and cannot penetrate.
- A. There is no risk at all, since alpha cannot penetrate skin
- B. There is minimal external risk from the sealed source at a distance, since alpha is stopped by air/skin, but risk would rise sharply if the source were opened and inhaled or ingested
- C. The worker is at extreme risk even at a distance, since alpha penetrates lead easily
- D. Gloves are irrelevant because alpha radiation ignores all barriers
5. A hospital chooses a gamma-emitting isotope with a short half-life for a diagnostic scan, and staff operating the scanner stand behind a lead screen during the procedure. Identify the two separate safety principles being applied here.
- A. Both choices are about reducing exposure time only
- B. Choosing a short half-life reduces the patient's long-term radiation dose; using lead shielding protects staff standing near the equipment from gamma radiation
- C. The short half-life protects staff, and the lead screen protects the patient
- D. Neither choice affects safety — they are purely about image quality