The weathering of rocks and soil causes uranium to collect in groundwater. In this article, we attempted to assess the activity concentrations of uranium and 234U/238U isotopic ratios in various groundwater samples and plants obtained from the Ha’il region, Saudi Arabia. The results showed that the concentrations of 238U ranged between 0.08 ± 0.04 and 1.11 ± 0.06 Bq L−1, with an average of 0.67 ± 0.05 Bq L−1. Activity concentrations of 234U ranged between 0.12 ± 0.01 and 2.2 ± 0.8 Bq L−1, with an average of 1.26 ± 0.11 Bq L−1. The international permissible limit of uranium in groundwater is 0.372 Bq L−1. The 234U/238U activity ratios in the collected groundwater samples ranged between 1.5 ± 0.09 and 2.49 ± 1.27 Bq L−1, with an average of 1.95 ± 0.52 Bq L−1. In fruit-bearing trees, the 234U/238U activity ratios were 1.57 ± 0.84, 2.58 ± 1.01, and 2.69 ± 0.95 Bq L−1 for lemon, fig, and narenj. In fruit-bearing shrubs, the 234U/238U activity ratios were 2.37± 0.69 and 2.68 ± 0.69 Bq L−1 for green pepper and eggplant. Our goal is to increase the understanding of the factors that govern uranium’s activity and isotopic composition to better understand its prospective utilization as a tracer in groundwater chemistry and hydrology, as well as the possibility of exploiting this area for irrigation. In this investigation area, the groundwater and plants were unfit for human consumption.
People use granite in residential buildings on a large scale all around the world. Knowing granite’s radiological characteristics allows for the safe use of its properties to be maintained over time. Our findings are significant for two reasons: first, they may increase public awareness of the naturally radioactive properties of the materials under investigation, and second, they are necessary to establish standards, regulations, and management for the building materials used in Saudi Arabia. In this study, twenty-four granitic rock samples were collected from the Hai’l area in Saudi Arabia, and these samples are used as building material. Gamma spectrometry was used to measure the amounts of 238U, 232Th, 226Ra, and 40K in the collected granitic rock samples. The obtained data was also used to calculate some environmental hazard parameters, such as the absorbed gamma dose rate (AGDR), annual effective dose rate (AEDR), radium equivalent (Raeq), external and internal hazard indexes (Hex and Hin), gamma index (Iγ), alpha index (Iα), and excess lifetime cancer index (ELCR). We concluded that the collected granitic samples are harmful and need more attenuation if used as building materials.
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