CHP Health Physics Regulations and Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under ICRP Publication 103 recommendations, what is the recommended annual effective dose limit for occupational workers?
- 100 mSv/year
- 20 mSv/year averaged over 5 years (not exceeding 50 mSv in any single year) (Correct answer)
- 50 mSv/year
- 10 mSv/year
Correct answer: 20 mSv/year averaged over 5 years (not exceeding 50 mSv in any single year)
ICRP 103 recommends a dose limit of 20 mSv/year averaged over a 5-year period, with no single year exceeding 50 mSv.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the difference between a radiation protection standard and a radiation protection guide?
- Standards are voluntary; guides are legally enforceable
- Standards are legally enforceable regulations; guides are advisory recommendations (Correct answer)
- Guides apply to workers; standards apply to the public
- Standards apply only to NRC licensees; guides apply to Agreement States
Correct answer: Standards are legally enforceable regulations; guides are advisory recommendations
Regulatory standards have legal enforcement authority, while radiation protection guides (e.g., NCRP reports) are advisory in nature.
Question 3: What action level triggers mandatory reporting to the NRC under 10 CFR 20.2201 for lost or stolen licensed material?
- Any quantity of licensed material, regardless of activity
- Quantities greater than 10 times the applicable annual limit on intake (ALI) (Correct answer)
- Any source with activity exceeding 10 mCi
- Loss of any sealed source regardless of activity
Correct answer: Quantities greater than 10 times the applicable annual limit on intake (ALI)
10 CFR 20.2201 requires immediate report to the NRC when quantities greater than 10 times the ALI of licensed material are lost or stolen.
Question 4: The concept of 'derived air concentration' (DAC) in 10 CFR Part 20 is based on what assumption?
- An 8-hour workday with inhalation at 1.2 m³/hour for a full year receiving 5 rem
- A 2000-hour work year with inhalation at 1.2 m³/hour resulting in one ALI intake (Correct answer)
- A 40-hour week with breathing rate of 20 L/min at the permissible concentration
- Annual breathing volume of 2400 m³ producing 50 mSv committed dose
Correct answer: A 2000-hour work year with inhalation at 1.2 m³/hour resulting in one ALI intake
DAC is defined as the air concentration that, if breathed for a working year (2000 hours) at 1.2 m³/hour, would result in an intake of one ALI.
Question 5: Under 10 CFR 50 Appendix I, what is the dose design objective for liquid effluents from light-water reactors to unrestricted areas?
- 5 mrem/year to total body
- 3 mrem/year to total body or any organ (Correct answer)
- 25 mrem/year to thyroid
- 10 mrem/year whole body
Correct answer: 3 mrem/year to total body or any organ
Appendix I to 10 CFR Part 50 sets the design objective of 3 mrem/year from liquid effluents to any organ or total body for the public.
Question 6: Which regulatory body has primary authority over radiation protection standards for naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) in the oil and gas industry?
- NRC under the Atomic Energy Act
- EPA under the Clean Air Act
- State governments, as NORM is generally not regulated by the NRC (Correct answer)
- DOE under the Energy Reorganization Act
Correct answer: State governments, as NORM is generally not regulated by the NRC
NORM in the oil and gas industry is typically regulated by individual state agencies because it is excluded from NRC jurisdiction under the Atomic Energy Act.
Question 7: In the context of NRC licensing, what is an 'Agreement State'?
- A state that has signed a treaty with the NRC to share nuclear waste disposal costs
- A state that has entered into an agreement with the NRC to assume regulatory authority over certain radioactive materials (Correct answer)
- A state that has agreed to follow ICRP recommendations instead of NRC standards
- A state authorized to regulate nuclear power plant operations
Correct answer: A state that has entered into an agreement with the NRC to assume regulatory authority over certain radioactive materials
An Agreement State has signed an agreement with the NRC under Section 274b of the Atomic Energy Act to regulate byproduct, source, and special nuclear materials.
CHP Health Physics Regulations and Standards 3
Under ICRP Publication 103 recommendations, what is the recommended annual effective dose limit for occupational workers?