Study of the Presence of Radon in Groundwater from Two Regions in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Groundwater samples with high total dissolved solids (TDS) were collected from private wells in Al Sharqiya and Tabouk regions in Saudi Arabia to determine the 222 Rn activities and to investigate the factors that may control the presence of radon in these wells. The radon activity levels in Al Sharqiya groundwater wells showed an average value below the maximum contaminant level proposed by EPA for drinking water. In contrast, all the sampled wells in Tabouk region exhibited 222 Rn concentrations exceeding 300 pCi/L, the maximum contaminant level (MCL) recommended by the USEPA, which may be explained by the nature of aquifers in both regions. Within the limited number of groundwater samples, it was observed that the radon content of Al Sharqiya sampled wells has good correlations with some chemical parameters (TDS and Eh) in these wells. The observed correlations between the water chemistry and the radon activities in groundwater do not necessarily imply a relationship between the two events. Furthermore, these chemical parameters may reflect the presence of nearby radium in rocks surface. Radon wasn't influenced by the chemical environment in the investigated Tabouk wells but, may be is more controlled by other factors: the direct parent 226 Ra content and the nature of the aquifer matrix (grain size and permeability in the Saq aquifer rocks).

Evaluation of the Radon Levels in the Groundwater Wells of Qatar: Radiological Risk Assessment

“…The average level of the radon was reported between 1.45 ± 1.19 and 9.15 ± 1.55 Bq/L. Similarly, El-Sharkawy [53] investigated the radon level in private groundwater wells in Tabouk and Al-Sharqiyah (Saudi Aarabia) using RAD7 and found the range of the radon in the groundwater to be 5.5-11 Bq/L. Likewise, Murad [26] studied the radon level of 12 groundwater wells along the border between UAE and Oman.…”

“…They found the radon level to be between 2 and 6.6 Bq/L. El-Sharkawy [53] investigated the radon level in private groundwater wells in Tabouk and Al-Sharqiyah (Saudi Arabia) using RAD7 and found the range of the radon in the groundwater to be 5.5-11 Bq/L. As seen in Table 1, the radon levels in groundwater around the world showed some elevated levels that are above the EPA's MCL; hence, the aim of the present work is to give an overview of the radon levels in groundwater and estimate their health effects.…”