American Society of Radiologic Technologist (ASRT) Practice Exam

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Of the following, a whole-body radiation exposure of 2 Gy over a period of ________ would be MOST hazardous to an individual.

10 seconds
10 hours
10 days
10 weeks

The correct answer is: 10 seconds

A whole-body radiation exposure of 2 Gy is significantly more dangerous when delivered in a short time frame, such as 10 seconds, compared to extended periods like 10 hours, 10 days, or 10 weeks. Acute radiation exposure can lead to immediate cellular damage, impacting critical systems like the immune system and gastrointestinal tract. In brief time frames, such as seconds or minutes, the body has almost no opportunity to respond to or repair the damage done by radiation, which can lead to severe acute radiation syndrome (ARS). In contrast, distributing the same dose over a longer period allows the body to initiate repair processes to recover from some of the cellular damage, reducing the overall severity of health effects. Therefore, exposure over 10 seconds is considered the most hazardous because of the overwhelming immediate effects on the body’s systems.