Assessment of Natural Radioactivity Levels and Radiological Hazard Indices in Soil Samples Collected from the Central Region of Saudi Arabia
Atef El‐Taher, Ehab El Sayed Massoud, Mohamed A.E. Abdel‐Rahman
Abstract
The activity levels of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in 38 soil samples collected from four areas (Al Assyah, Buraidah, Al Shamassea, and Al Badayyia) in Qassim (Saudi Arabia) were determined by γ-ray spectrometry with a NaI(Tl) detector. The activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K varied from 9.6 ± 0.2 to 158.6 ± 0.1, from 9.6 ± 0.1 to 110.0 ± 0.4, and from 70.1 ± 0.5 to 390.3 ± 1.5 Bq/kg, respectively. Also, the annual effective dose rate was estimated to assess the health hazards caused by the external exposure to people living in these regions. The concentrations of 40K and 232Th are lower than the world average, whereas the 226Ra concentration is higher than the recommended level detailed by UNSCEAR.