Radioactivity of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs in beach sand and sediment near to desalination plant in eastern Saudi Arabia: Assessment of radiological impacts

Sand and sediment samples were collected from different locations along the beach near to desalination plant, which is one of the oldest and largest reverse osmosis desalination plants in Saudi Arabia, where the fluid waste is discharged. The activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs were measured using gamma-ray spectrometry. Radiation hazard indices were calculated to evaluate the radiological risk for the public and environment. This study is the first to evaluate the radiological impacts in the area under investigation. The mean values of radium equivalent activity (Raeq) were 74.1 Bq kg−1 for surface sand samples, 78.8 Bq kg−1 for subsurface sand samples and 78.1 Bq kg−1 for sediments. The mean values of gamma absorbed dose rate (D) in air and annual effective dose (E) for analyzed samples were lower than the acceptable values. The external radiation hazard indices were lower than unity for all samples.