Evaluation of Environmental Radioactivity and Hazard Impacts Saudi Arabia Granitic Rocks Used as Building Materials

Abstract

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.

Keywords

• building materials
• radionuclides
• granites
• rocks
• Saudi Arabia