Assessment of Natural Radioactivity Levels and Radiation Dose Rate in Some Soil Samples from Historical Area, AL-RAKKAH, Saudi Arabia

K. S. Al Mugren

Physics Department, Faculty of Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

DOI: 10.4236/ns.2015.75027                

Abstract

This study aims to determine the activity concentrations of naturally occurring, technically-enhanced levels of radiation and the gamma absorbed dose rates in soil samples collected across the land scape of historical area which discovered in east of Saudi Arabia at 2009 G, Called AL- RAKKAH. By using an HPGe detector gamma-ray spectrometer, the activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K were found in surface soil samples ranged from 17. 4 ± 1.2 Bq/kg to 28.3 ± 2.3 Bq/kg with an average value of 23 ± 1.6 Bq/kg, ranging from 1.1 ± 1.8 Bq/kg to 81.0 ± 1.7 Bq/kg with the average value 20 ± 1.4 Bq/kg and from 218 ± 11 Bq/kg to 255 ± 18 Bq/kg, with the mean value of 233 ± 12 Bq/kg respectively. The mean radium equivalent (Raeq) and outdoor radiation hazard index (H_ex) for the area under study were determined as 69.52 Bq/kg and 0.16 respectively. The total absorbed dose rate due to three primordial radionuclides lies in the range of 17.74 - 72.24 nGy·h^-1 with a mean of 32.69 nGy·h^-1, which yields total annual effective dose of 0.37 mSv·y^-1. The measured values are comparable with other global radioactivity measurements and are found to be safe for public and environment. The baseline data of this type will almost certainly be of importance in making estimations of population exposure.

Keywords

Soil, Gamma Ray Spectroscopy, Radioactivity, Dose Rate, Alrakkah, Saudi Arabia

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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