10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The CEAI exam has 100 questions and runs 3 hours.
These 10 free CEAI questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Council-certified Environmental Allergen Investigator blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
An office employee's serum test is positive for dog-specific IgE, and an environmental laboratory detects Can f 1 in dust from the employee's workstation. The employee reports similar respiratory complaints at several locations, with no consistent worsening in this office. Which sentence belongs in the investigator's report?
Correct answer: B - Dog sensitization and office dog allergen are documented; their clinical connection remains unresolved.
At a follow-up interview, a 68-year-old with asthma describes three resolved episodes of coughing and burning eyes when cooking oil smoked. A spouse also had burning eyes each time. Neither reports similar episodes during other kitchen activities. Inspection finds mold under a leaking sink and mite allergen in bedroom dust; the patient's common inhalant-allergy tests are negative. Which mechanism best explains the episode pattern?
Correct answer: C - Nonallergic airway and eye irritation from overheated cooking-oil emissions
A pet-free elementary classroom repeatedly has detectable Fel d 1 in dust near its coat hooks. The field blanks are negative. Several pupils live with cats, and the school has no history of keeping classroom animals. A focused follow-up should first examine which source-to-room pathway?
Correct answer: A - Cat proteins carried into the classroom on pupils' coats and clothing
A bedroom's mattress-dust sample contains Der f 1. A five-minute air sample collected in the same room while the bed is undisturbed has no quantifiable Der f 1. Both analyses pass their stated quality checks. How can these findings coexist?
Correct answer: B - Settled allergen can persist despite little resuspension during quiet air sampling.
An allergen investigation identifies a dusty utility room connected to an occupied office by a gap beneath a closed door. Simultaneous, stable pressure readings are −2 Pa in the utility room and −6 Pa in the office, both referenced to the same outdoor location. Air movement through the gap is most consistent with:
Correct answer: D - Utility-room air entering the office through the door gap.
Heating reduces a room's relative humidity from 55% to 40%, but its measured dew point remains 13°C and a chilled-water pipe remains at 11°C. Droplets persist. Outdoor air has a dew point of 18°C. Which recommendation is best supported by these measurements?
Correct answer: B - Improve pipe insulation and investigate sources of water vapor.
A laboratory receives a request to determine whether cleaning reduced the reservoir of the cockroach allergen Bla g 1 in a living-room carpet. Before-and-after locations and collection conditions can be matched. Which specimen and analytical target fit that objective?
Correct answer: C - Carpet dust analyzed with an immunoassay specific for Bla g 1.
A clean-water pipe leak has left 6 ft² of light surface mold on sound painted concrete. The leak is fixed, and inspection finds no hidden growth, HVAC involvement, or heightened exposure concern. A trained crew can clean it nonabrasively while residents remain outside the work area. Under EPA guidance, which initial response is most proportionate?
Correct answer: C - Clean and dry the area using suitable PPE; verify the moisture repair.
Matched 1.0 m² carpet samples yield these results: before cleaning, 0.40 g of sieved dust containing 10 µg/g of a specified allergen; after cleaning, 1.20 g containing 5 µg/g. Assume equally representative collection and comparable analytical methods. A contractor cites the lower µg/g result as proof that recovered allergen per square meter decreased. Is that interpretation supported?
Correct answer: D - No; the loading increased from 4 to 6 µg/m² despite the lower concentration.
A consulting firm's hazard assessment finds no exposure requiring respiratory protection during nonintrusive building inspections. The employer does not require respirators and determines that voluntary use would create no hazard. An employee's only respirator use is voluntarily wearing an N95 filtering facepiece during these visits. Under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134, which action is required for this arrangement?
Correct answer: A - Provide the employee with the information in Appendix D of the standard.
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