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CONTENTS
Introduction...........................................................................................................3
Radon Mitigation Licensure...................................................................................
Radon Mitigation Professional License..........................................................................
Radon Mitigation Technician License.............................................................................
Conditions of Mitigation Licensure.................................................................................
Continuing Education Requirements.............................................................................
Applying for a License...................................................................................................
How to Study...........................................................................................................
How to Being the Learning Process...............................................................................
How to Read the Training Manual by SQ3R..................................................................
What to Do While Reading the Manual..........................................................................
How to Manage Your Time.............................................................................................
MURDER, She Studied...............................................................................................
Declarations.............................................................................................................
Disability Accommodation..............................................................................................
Academic Misconduct....................................................................................................
Appendix..................................................................................................................
Radon Mitigation Competency Checklist.......................................................................
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INTRODUCTION
As stipulated by the Adopted Rule, 32 Illinois Administrative Code, Part 422 (Licensing of
Radon Detection and Mitigation Services) of 1998, the required knowledge base for
radon mitigation professional licensure comprises eight (8) units of knowledge
proficiency:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The present required training manual, UIC Radon Mitigation Course An Illinois Specific
Course (University of Illinois, 1999), is approved by the Illinois Emergency Management
Agency (formerly Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety) and references parts of
Reducing Radon in Structures, 3rd Edition (S. Cohen & Associates, 1992). This study
guide is based upon these materials, as well as the existing mitigation licensure test
required of all individuals who seek a radon mitigation license in Illinois based upon the
Radon Industry Licensing Act (P.A. 90-262, effective July 30, 1997) and the Adopted
Rule Licensing of Radon Detection and Mitigation Services, 32 Illinois Administration
Code, Part 422 (1998).
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5. Licensees shall provide basic training to all employees on safety and operational
policies and the proper use of equipment.
6. No unlicensed employee shall perform radon mitigation activities without the
direct on-site supervision of a licensed individual.
7. Within 45 days after providing post-mitigation testing, the individual providing the
service shall report the results in picocuries per liter (pCi/L) to the owner of the
building, its representatives or the client.
8. Licensees shall comply with all applicable Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) standards and guidelines relating to occupational worker
exposure, health and safety.
9. Radiation exposure shall not exceed 30 pCi/L or 0.3 WL, based on continuous
workplace exposure for 40 hr/week, 52 weeks per year and shall not exceed 4
working level months (WLM) over a 12 month period, using an equilibrium ratio of
50 percent to convert radon exposure to WLM.
10. Radiation exposure shall be tracked, recorded and reported annually to the
workers. Radiation exposure records of personnel shall be retained for inspection
by the Department.
11. Records of radon measurements, mitigations, quality assurance programs,
calibration measurements, equipment repairs and worker protection plans shall
be retained by the licensee for a least 5 years or the length of time of any
warranty or guarantees, whichever is longer.
12. No person shall interfere with, or cause another to interfere with, the successful
completion of a radon measurement or the installation or operation of a radon
mitigation.
13. The radon laboratory licensee shall notify the Department in writing within 5
working days when it loses or replaces the individual named in Section 422.60(e)
(2)(A).
Continuing Education Requirements
All applicants for renewal of individual licenses shall provide evidence of having
participated in an approved program of continuing education as indicated below.
1. The required effort in continuing education per 2 year period for each category of
license issued is as follows:
a. Radon Measurement Professional 16 credits (8 Category II)
b. Radon Measurement Technician 8 credits
c. Radon Mitigation Professional 16 credits (8 Category II)
d. Radon Mitigation Technician 8 credits
e. All applicants for individual licenses shall provide evidence of participating in an
approved program of continuing education as indicated in subsection (a). All
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credits are Category I, unless otherwise noted. Category I can be substituted for
Category II.
Information on radon courses offered in the State of Illinois may be accessed through:
http://www.state.il.us/idns/html/radon/availpub/rdnmmcs.asp
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checklist before your take the licensing test, you will be confident when you sit down to
test, and thus will optimize your testing performance outcome. Trust me this works!!!
A final comment This guide has been developed to help you Yes, to pass the test!
but maybe even more so to learn all that you can about radon measurement, to value
everything you learn, and to be the best measurement professional you can reasonably
be in your community. Radon is harmful, real people are the subjects of that harm, and
you can be the one to make all the difference. Is this not reason enough to be the best?
WHAT TO STUDY
The goal of study is to insure that an individual: (a) learns and understands each of the
elements of the knowledge base; (b) values and is able to apply (practice) each of these
knowledge base elements, in terms of why it is necessary to know such material
thoroughly; and, (c) prepares (the learner) for the testing process that will ultimately
decide if the learner is licensed to practice the knowledge learned. Studying is an
active, not passive, process of learning.
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Definitions (10)
Designing Mitigation Systems (13)
Worker Health & Safety (10)
Measurements (13)
Radon Occurrence & Behavior (9)
Physics (11)
Mitigation Practicum (12)
Quality Control & Quality Assurance (8)
Regulations (14)
This is a multiple choice examination with 2-4 choices per question. Some questions
require mathematical computation. Examination questions have been written to provide
only one BEST answer and are NOT written as trick questions. All correct answers have
equal value and there are no score reductions for wrong answers. Therefore, all
examination questions should be answered. Ample time is provided to answer all
examination questions, so be sure to read each question and its four choices completely
and carefully before selecting the BEST possible answer to the question.
Scoring
Each item is worth 1 point towards the final score. A summary score of 70% items
correct, or greater, is evaluated as passing. Unanswered items are scored as incorrect.
No partial credit is given.
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4. Measurements (13)
Measurement Competencies: Working levels (WL); Attachments to solids by radon
decay; Passive detectors; Testing of water; Relative percent difference computation;
Documentation requirements; Testing by home owner; Occupied homes.
Mitigation Competencies: Passive detectors; Post-mitigation calculations; Location of
devices; Real estate transactions; Homeowner measurement; Minimal requirements for
interpretation; Reporting results.
6. Physics (11)
Measurement Competencies: Radiation; Qualities of radon; Structure of the atom;
Atomic decay and radon decay products; Computations based upon picocuries per liter of
air (pCi/L).
Mitigation Competencies: Damage to lung tissue; Concentration computation vis--vis
work levels; Progeny; Working level computation; Dynamic equilibrium; USEPA risk
estimate; Simultaneous measurements in open v. closed structures; Common hazards;
Plate-outs.
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Primary suction points; Sealing of planned cracks; Pedestal pumps and mitigation
systems.
9. Regulations (14)
Measurement Competencies: Radon Industry Licensing Act (RILA), Section 44/40;
Adopted Rule, 32 Illinois Administrative Code, Part 422; Radon Measurement
Professional License; Application, conditions, and exemptions; Requirements for renewal;
Violations, suspension, revocation, or non-renewal; Radon Measurement Technician
License and authorization to work; Requirements of mitigation systems; Quality
assurance in licensing.
Mitigation Competencies: Design of sump pit covers; Labeling; Maintenance of system;
Responsibilities to client; Licensing of technicians; License suspension or revocation;
Skeletal or passive systems; System components; Discharge; Venting pipe supports;
Electrical requirements; Retarder membranes; Existing HVAC systems; Plastic vent
pipes.
Each test item addresses one (or more) of the elements of knowledge which a mitigation
professional must understand (see learning objectives), in order to be both effective and
successful.
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If you place a suction point in a floor that had ducts in the floor, what is
an unseen drawback?
A. Drawing heating and cooling from the house.
B. Drawing heating, not cooling, from the house.
C. Drawing cooling, not heating, from the house.
D. None of the above.
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[Sample Item]
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Driveways and concrete patios adjoining the home can cause radon to
build up under these areas and then enter the home through foundation
walls.
A. True.
B. False.
[Sample Item]
Which of the following types of radiation from radon decay products
causes the most damage to lung tissue?
A. Gamma.
B. Beta.
C. Alpha.
D. Chi.
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A.
B.
C.
D.
1 year.
2 years.
3 years.
4 years..
HOW TO STUDY
Effective learning can only take place through effective study nothing comes easy to
anyone. Studying is a science, not an art, and those individuals who develop good
habits in studying will optimize their learning and minimize the time necessary to learn.
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1. Make and keep a study schedule. Set aside certain hours each day for class
assignments. Keep the same schedule regularly day to day. The amount of time
needed for study will vary with the individual student and the courses on his or
her schedule.
2. Study in a suitable place -- the same place every day. Is concentration one of
your study problems? Experts state that the right surroundings improve
concentration ability. Also, study desks/tables should be located in a quiet place
-- free from distractions.
3. Organize all material before starting. Your study area should have certain
standard equipment -- paper, pen, resource books, calculator, etc. This will
eliminate unnecessary interruptions.
4. Don't wait for inspiration to strike -- it probably won't. We can learn a lesson
about studying from observing an athlete. Can you imagine seeing an athlete
who is training for a mile run sitting on the field waiting for inspiration to strike
before beginning to practice? Like an athlete, it is necessary to get in training for
exams by doing things on a regular basis.
6. Keep a careful record of assignments. Why lose time phoning all over town or
campus to find someone who knows the assignment? Write it down -- in detail -in a designated place in your notebook. Knowing what is expected and when
you are expected to do it is the first step toward completing the assignment.
front write the term; on the back, write the definition or an important fact
about that term. Carry your flash cards with you. Periodically take them
out and quiz yourself.
Divided Page. Draw a dividing line down the center of a sheet of
notebook paper. Write important questions on the left side and the
answers on the right. Use the "self restriction" method of study. Cover
the right-hand side and try to give the answer. Then check and recheck
until you're sure you know the material.
Cover Card. As you are studying, look over your notebook or textbook
and read what you are trying to memorize. Use the cover card to conceal
what you've just read -- try reciting or writing the facts from memory.
Check until you are sure you have mastered the facts.
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8. Insure against forgetting -- take good lecture and text notes. Learn to take
lecture and text notes efficiently as your instructors stress important points in
class and as you study your assignments. Good notes are imperative for justbefore-test reviewing. Without notes, you will often need to reread the whole
assignment before a test.
9. How can you remember what you've studied? One secret of remembering is over
learning. Psychologists tell us that the secret of learning for the future is over
learning. Over learning is continuing your study after you have learned the
material well enough to barely recall it.
10. Frequent reviews pay off -- in knowledge, grades and credits. Without review,
the average student can forget 80% of what was read -- in just two weeks! Your
first review should come very shortly after you study material for the first time.
(University Study Center, University of North Dakota, 1997)
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By now you are reading, not passively, but actively with certain definite questions
in mind, and attempting to answer these questions and to organize the material.
Read only to the end of each headed section. Can you answer your questions
from step 2?
4. Recite
For each of the questions in step 2 you have written down, can you look away
and answer out loud each question? If you cannot answer it from your notes,
mark it so that you can listen especially for that point in class. Once answered,
simply move to next step-2 question, answer it out loud and so on until you get to
end of the chapter.
5. Review
First: upon completion of the study session, review what was covered, -- repeat
the process until you can answer every question that you posed. Then, second,
repeat this process once a week until you are tested on the material. Always
review material at the end of every week.
6. Additional sources of questions:
Tables and graphs. These are important summaries of material and you
should turn their headings into question, if possible, or ask yourself questions
about them.
Italicized phrases. These the author considers important and you should, too.
Ask yourself questions about them.
(Richard H. Anderson, University of Colorado at Denver, 1997)
Now repeat the steps: QUESTION, READ, RECITE, and REVIEW on each succeeding
headed section. That is, turn the next headings into a question, read to answer that
question, and recite the answer, followed by a brief review. Read in this way until the
entire lesson is completed. Question yourself from the chapter summary also.
Is the SQ3R method an easy way to study? No, it is not. It is an easy technique to
understand and to memorize, but it will call for deliberate effort on your part to practice
these techniques regularly. It will not be easy to learn to apply it, because your old, more
passive habits of reading will interfere with the active effort to study at first. But you can
learn to apply the SQ3R method successfully and you will find it rewarding.
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SQ3R method to the textbook and then marking the important points and making brief
notes right in the book. Of course, to be an effective aid to review, the marking must be
done in a methodical purposeful way. Many students read, pencil in hand, and simply
underline anything that seems important or interesting at the time. This actively keeps
them busy and may help them concentrate, but unfortunately it is no help later on. Bear
in mind, then, that your markings are your guide to review.
Here are 8 hints on how to become a successful textbook marker:
1. WAIT to start marking until you have read and thoroughly understood the chapter
or a significant portion of it. Then GO BACK and mark the MAIN POINTS in any
fashion you choose, so long as it is consistent; underlining, Roman numerals in
the margin, key words in the margin, etc.
2. Be sure to indicate not only the main ideas but the relationships between them.
Doing this may require you to scrawl a word or two in the margin, or use little
arrows to connect points, or use a series of numbers and letters, or circle key
transitional words. Identify cause and effect, steps in a process, significant
contrasts, etc. in this way.
3. If you feel you also need to note subordinate points and key details, such as the
proofs the author advances for a given generalization, note them economically,
for instance with little circled numbers, combined with the barest minimum of
underlining of key words.
4. Use a variety of marks, use them consistently. You may want to underline main
ideas, circle important names and dates, or use brackets and marginal notes for
an entire key paragraph.
5. Summary words or phrases in the margin, or at the top or bottom of the page, are
helpful. In a well organized text, you can with practice, formally outline the
chapters right in the margins, with Roman numerals and letters and a word or
two of comment.
6. Use the inside front or back covers to keep a running glossary of formulas,
terminology, etc. and the page numbers on which they are defined.
7. Whatever system you use, (you will work out your own system depending on the
nature of the course and the textbook), DON'T OVERDO IT. Don't mark up the
page just to convince yourself that you are studying. Make your marks simple
and have a good reason for every mark you make. On sheets of paper that are
smaller than the pages of the book, write long thoughts or summaries; then insert
them between the pages.
8. It is a good idea, if you have time, to review your markings immediately after you
finish the assignment, before you close your book. This retards the inevitable
forgetting, and leaves you with the main points in mind.
(Richard H. Anderson, University of Colorado at Denver, 1997)
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Here are 12 hintss to help you study effectively and efficiently, while economically
managing your time so that you do not waste time during the process of study:
1. Plan a definite time for studying each day. This will discourage procrastination
and prevent that pile-up of work.
2. Shorten your study time by knowing the purpose of each assignment, what to do,
and how to do it before you leave class. Keep a record of all assignments in a
special section of your notebook.
3. Predicting the amount of time needed for each assignment causes you to work
harder so that you save time. By timing your assignments, you are more likely to
concentrate and less likely to become bored.
4. Time yourself to see how long it takes you to read five pages of your textbook or
a paperback. This will help you estimate the time needed to complete a reading
assignment. Because a textbook is loaded with information, you may have to
read some sections more than once. Allow time for reflecting on what you read.
5. Pay attention to charts and diagrams. They can be shortcuts to understanding.
6. When a reading assignment is made, you can expect to have a discussion of the
material or a quiz in class. Take a little time to review just before class so that you
are ready to participate.
7. Every time you study, spend ten minutes in review of previous assignments.
These refresher shots are the secret for long-term memory. This habit of frequent
review also results in less time needed for study for a major test.
8. Use daytime for study if possible. At night you are likely to be less efficient.
9. After studying about forty minutes, take a five minute break. This refreshes your
mind so that you can concentrate better and finish faster.
10. Setting a stopping time at night will encourage hard work in anticipation of being
through by ten o'clock or whatever time you set. Sometimes you may even beat
the clock. The increased impetus helps you concentrate.
11. Don't cram for hours the night before a test. Instead, distribute your study in halfhour segments over a period of days.
12. Since learning is cumulative, new ideas must be incorporated with previous
learning from lectures, readings, and lab experiments. You have to continuously
make the connections and associations in your own mind. Putting it all together is
easier if you schedule time daily to read, to think, to reflect, to review. Improved
learning is the natural result of this approach to using your time.
(University Study Center, University of North Dakota, 2002)
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these first, then go to questions carrying fewer points. If you start to get test panic, put
your pencil down, take a few deep breaths and gather your thoughts. Be confident in
your ability to answer what is asked.
YOU CAN DO IT!
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Be cautious about changing your answer to a true- false or multiple choice question
without a good reason. Your first "guess" is more likely to be correct than are subsequent
"guesses," so be sure to have a sound reason for changing your answer.
Rule 9.
Apply the same approach to answering both true- false and multiple choice questions.
The same techniques will work equally well for both, since multiple choice questions are
basically true-false questions arranged in groups.
Rule 10.
On matching exercises, work with only one column at a time. Match each item in that
column against all items in the second column until you find a proper match, marking
through matches about which you are certain so that it will be easier to match out the
rest about which you are unsure.
(Richard H. Anderson, University of Colorado at Denver, 1997)
DECLARATIONS
Disability Accommodation
The State of Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) abides by Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which mandates reasonable accommodations be provided
for qualified individuals with disabilities. Any prospective licensing candidate with a
certified disability, who may require some type of instructional and/or examination
accommodation, should contact IEMA as soon as possible so that we can provide or
facilitate an accommodations the applicant may need. A certification of disability should
be provided through an evaluation by a licensed psychologist, at the applicants
expense.
Academic Misconduct
Academic Misconduct is any violation of ethics or legal protocol associated with any
aspect of the licensing process, including application, registration, training, and testing.
Any receipt or transmission of unauthorized aid on assignments or examinations,
plagiarism, unauthorized use of examination materials, or other forms of dishonesty in
academic matters, is deemed academic misconduct, and is subject to disciplinary action,
including expulsion from the training program, suspension or revocation of license, as well
as recommendation for further civil action.
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APPENDIX
Radon Measurement Competency Checklist
Review the elements of the checklist thoroughly. Then, use it to organize your learning.
Check-off each element as you encounter it in the learning protocol. Write down page
numbers from your training manual in the margins of the checklist to remind you where
to return to in order to review materials prior to the test.
Utilize this list to review the competencies that are required for licensure as you
approach the time for the licensure test.. Be certain that you are able to understand the
ramifications of each competency element, as this will aide your preparation for the
licensure test.
Lastly, remember that this checklist is a guide to learning, not the specific elements of
the radon measurement professional knowledge base, nor the sole components upon
which you will be tested. The checklist complements the training manual and other
instructional materials it does not substitute for these other importance materials.
Good luck!
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Appendix
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depressurization system.
Crawlspace depressurization with/without the use of a soil gas retarder membrane.
Diagnostic testing indicates when radon mitigation system draws outside air from a
drain line to daylight.
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Room fans exchanging inside/outside air and equilibrium ratios; plate outs.
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of both State of Illinois and federal regulations and standards associated with the
mitigation of radon.
Design of sump pit covers in terms of airtight sealing and maximum support weight.
Information on system description labels.
Maintenance on a mitigation system installed prior to the Adopted Rule.
Responsibilities to clients regarding test result interpretation, health risks, and
documentation.
Radon Mitigation Technician licensees.
IDNS refusal, suspension, probation, or revocation of license.
Passive or skeletal new construction systems installed in new construction.
Components of mitigation systems.
Point of discharge from a fan-powered soil depressurization system.
Installation of supports for radon vent pipes.
Electrical requirements in Adopted Rule.
Soil gas retarder membranes used in crawlspaces for sub-membrane
depressurization.
Modifications to an existing HVAC system that are proposed to mitigate elevated
levels of radon.
Plastic vent pipes in mitigation systems.
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