CIH CIH - Certified Industrial Hygienist Biological Hazards and Biosafety Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which biological agent is classified as a Category A bioterrorism agent by the CDC due to its high mortality and potential for widespread impact?
- Staphylococcal enterotoxin B
- Brucella species
- Bacillus anthracis (Correct answer)
- Hantavirus
Correct answer: Bacillus anthracis
Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) is a CDC Category A agent because it can be easily disseminated, causes high mortality, and requires special public health preparedness.
Question 2: What does the term 'zoonosis' refer to in the context of occupational biological hazards?
- Infections confined to laboratory animals only
- Diseases transmissible between animals and humans (Correct answer)
- Microorganisms found only in soil environments
- Infections caused by parasitic vectors
Correct answer: Diseases transmissible between animals and humans
A zoonosis is any infectious disease that can be transmitted between vertebrate animals and humans, a significant concern for agricultural and veterinary workers.
Question 3: Which engineering control is most effective for preventing airborne biological hazard exposure in a clinical microbiology laboratory?
- Local exhaust ventilation hood
- Biosafety cabinet (BSC) (Correct answer)
- General dilution ventilation
- Laminar flow clean bench
Correct answer: Biosafety cabinet (BSC)
A biosafety cabinet (BSC) provides HEPA-filtered, inward and exhausted airflow specifically designed to protect workers from aerosols generated during microbiological work.
Question 4: What exposure assessment tool is used to estimate airborne concentrations of mold in indoor air quality investigations?
- Impinger sampling with culture media
- Cascade impactor with filter media
- Spore trap sampling analyzed by direct microscopy (Correct answer)
- Swab sampling for surface contamination
Correct answer: Spore trap sampling analyzed by direct microscopy
Spore trap air sampling (e.g., RCS, Burkard, Air-O-Cell) collected on sticky media and analyzed by direct microscopy is commonly used for total airborne fungal spore counts.
Question 5: Under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, which items must be included in an Exposure Control Plan?
- Only engineering controls and PPE requirements
- Exposure determination, implementation schedule, and procedures for evaluating exposure incidents (Correct answer)
- Only vaccination records and post-exposure follow-up
- Training records and medical surveillance logs only
Correct answer: Exposure determination, implementation schedule, and procedures for evaluating exposure incidents
An Exposure Control Plan must include an exposure determination, implementation schedule and methods, hepatitis B vaccination program, post-exposure evaluation, and annual review.
Question 6: Which work practice control is most critical in reducing Legionella pneumophila risk in building water systems?
- Installing UV air purifiers in HVAC systems
- Maintaining water temperatures outside the 77–108°F growth range (Correct answer)
- Providing N95 respirators to building occupants
- Testing for Legionella monthly using culture methods
Correct answer: Maintaining water temperatures outside the 77–108°F growth range
Legionella grows optimally between 77°F and 108°F, so maintaining hot water above 122°F and cold water below 68°F effectively inhibits its growth in building water systems.
CIH CIH - Certified Industrial Hygienist Biological Hazards and Biosafety Questions and Answers 2
Which biological agent is classified as a Category A bioterrorism agent by the CDC due to its high mortality and potential for widespread impact?