Analysis of Potassium-40 (40K) in Soil Samples from Dhahran City, Saudi Arabia, Using Gamma Spectrometer

This study presents the results of an analysis of 40K in soil samples from the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Gamma-ray spectrometry was used to measure the radioactivity of the 8 soil samples. The activity concentration, the absorbed dose, and the annual effective dose were calculated. The activity concentration of 40K ranged between 216.37 ± 3.66 and 258.12 ± 3.59 Bq kg−1 with an average of 229.38 ± 3.67 Bq kg−1. The average absorbed dose was found to be 9.57 ± 0.15 nGy h−1, while the annual effective dose ranged from 11.10 ± 0.19 to 13.20 ± 0.19 μSv with an average of 11.73 ± 0.19 μSv. These results are lower than world average values of activity concentration, absorbed dose, and annual effective dose which are 400 Bq kg−1, 16.68 nGy h−1, and 170 μSv y−1, respectively. All the obtained results are within the safety limit; therefore, there is no radiation hazard and life on the campus of KFUPM is safe.