SANITARIAN EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Most effective way to remove mosquitoes from an area? - answer- remove breeding
ground
Best way to keep radon out of a house? - answer- seal cracks in floors and provide
ventilation
In plumbing, what is a trap or a catch used for? - answer- catch solid materials from
entering wastewater system
What is true about alpha particles? - answer- not dangerous to life unless ingested or
inhaled
If you are denied inspection, what do you do? - answer- Contact an immediate
supervisor and the police
Act that regulates food inspections? - answer- Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
Best soil for subsurface drain field? - answer- yellow, red or brown
What does g/ml measure? - answer- density
What vector is responsible for the spread of the plague? - answer- fleas
Agents of yellow fever? - answer- Aedes (mosquitos)
Employees in a lab using salmonella which is not aerobic must do all but what? -
answer- have clothing disinfected before washing
Agency an employer would check with to see if they are in compliance with employee
handling of hazardous materials? - answer- OSHA
#1 component of sewage? - answer- water
What causes EPA to say substance is toxic? - answer- When material is composed of
clear toxic material and/or it is listed as a hazardous material and/or it is listed as a
hazardous chemical
What is sarin? - answer- A toxic chemical. Colorless, odorless liquid used as a gas
chemical weapon
What chemical is added to decrease chlorine in water? - answer- Sodium Thiosulfate
What is the process in order for water filtering? - answer- Coagulation, flocculation,
sedimentation, filtration
,Goal of HACCP? - answer- prevent contamination
How long do tags need to be kept for shell fish? - answer- 90 days
How can you tell a chilled fish is fresh/not fresh? - answer- fresh: Red gills, no foul odor,
bright eyes, no slime, elastic flesh
Not fresh: sunken eyes, foul odor, slime, non-elastic flesh
Why would you test water for bacteria? - answer- to see if it is potable
Best test for water quality? - answer- 5 day BOD
What is the most important thing when taking a sample of milk back to a lab for testing?
- answer- Have sanitary equipment and/or utensils
How do you prevent trichinosis? - answer- thoroughly cook pork
Why is it necessary to keep PHF's at 40 degrees or lower? - answer- slows bacteria
growth
What is the difference between OSHA and NIOSH? - answer- OSHA-responsible for
reducing worker injury, illness and death caused by workplace hazards (enforcement)
NIOSH-conducts research to address problems in occupational safety and health; trains
workforce, makes recommendations to OSHA
Best item to remove vapors? - answer- activated charcoal
What is the order of steps to take when arriving at an emergency situation? - answer-
Identify the problem, protect self, secure scene, call for help
Most common reason for Food Borne Illness? - answer- improper temperatures during
holding
What can municipal sewage treatment plants use treated water for? What is preferred?
- answer- Surface Irrigation; preferred: sanitary sewer, injection well, spray irrigation
What causes cognitive problems/learning disabilities in kids after ingesting? - answer-
lead
What can cause babies to turn blue? - answer- nitrates in drinking water
What is the best way to keep flies from a community? - answer- Proper environmental
sanitation policies and procedures
Proper way to calibrate a stem thermometer? - answer- ice and water bath for 3 minutes
,What gives inspectors the right to inspect, detain and even destroy food? - answer-
police power
What is the Hazardous Communication Standards? - answer- To ensure that
employees are aware of potential hazards in the workplace
How long do you let the water run before collecting a sample? - answer- 2-3 minutes
A person without symptoms, but is still shedding the disease is called a? - answer-
carrier
Boiling an item for 30 min may not remove what? - answer- clostridium
What is the best option for a small community installing a sewage system? - answer-
slow sand filter
A community is located above a bathing beach and a potential sewage spill has
occurred. What is the FIRST thing an inspector should do? - answer- notify public of
potential hazard
Modified Oxygen Packaging (MOP) and Sous Vide are examples of what? - answer-
Reduced air packaging which is where they remove or replace oxygen
Dried fruit is shelf stable because? - answer- low water activity
At what point is water activity too low for bacterial growth? - answer- 0.85
Most common reasons for Nosocomial diseases (diseases occurring in healthcare
facilities) is? - answer- Population that is highly susceptible, easy modes of transmission
When potable water is combined with sewage water, this is called? - answer- cross-
connection
What are the characteristics of hazardous waste? - answer- Flammable, corrosive,
reactive, toxic
A group of people are complaining of a FBI (food-borne illness) occurring 4 hours after
eating. What should you suspect? - answer- staph
The presence of what indicates fecal contamination in drinking water? - answer- e. coli
A liquid that is caused by rain going through a landfill and picking up bacteria is called? -
answer- leachate
, What factor of soil determines the effectiveness of a drainfield? - answer- Permeability
or texture or structure
If the pH of a pool is increased, how does this affect the chlorine in the pool? - answer-
Decreases its effectiveness
What factor would contribute to eye irritation in a pool? - answer- pH of 7.4, Turbidity of
8, chlorine level at 4, residual chlorine level of .45
What causes scromboid poisoning? - answer- Histamines in the muscles of fish
What is the purpose of Blanching a food item? - answer- Inactivates enzymes, longer
shelf-life
What is the minimum separation required from the bottom of a drain field to ground
water? - answer- 2 feet
What organization oversees the use of food additives? - answer- FDA
What are the differences between epidemic and endemic? - answer- Epidemic - affects
more than the expected number of cases of disease occurring in a community or region
during a given period of time. A sudden severe outbreak with in a region or a group.
Endemic - present in a community at all times but in low frequency
What is the process called when organisms are killed by heat disinfection? - answer-
pasteurization
What is the best way to remove algae growth? - answer- remove phosphorus
When looking at the signs on the back of trucks carrying hazardous cargo, what do the
numbers mean? What are the colors and what do they mean? - answer- 0-4, zero is
least harmful
orange is explosive, red is flammable, green is fine, yellow is oxidizers, white is poison,
blue is explosive when wet
What vector carries and spreads Dengue fever? - answer- mosquitos
An employee is feeling dizzy, confused, light headed. What should be suspected? -
answer- carbon monoxide poisoning
What disease is carried in the intestines of cockroaches? - answer- salmonella
What is the best way to prevent surface water from contaminating a well? - answer-
tight fitting lids that are sealed correctly
What does the unit mm/Hg measure? - answer- vapor pressure