The Assessment of Environmental Radioactivity in Haqal Village in Saudi Arabia and Its Impact on Public Health

The senior project study aims to monitor Environmental Radioactivity (ERA) within Haqal village, located in a high background radiation area. The research includes measuring radiation levels in air, water, sand, and granite in the village’s region using a Geiger counter and other radiation detection apparatus. The collected data was analyzed to ascertain the village's radiation exposure levels. The significance of this research is that it helped identify potential sources of radiation exposure that may have contributed to the village's elevated cancer rate. The study provides decision-makers and public health officials with essential information for developing strategies to reduce radiation exposure and prevent future cases of cancer in the kingdom. We collected various samples from several locations at the village, including residential areas, agricultural fields, and water sources, using chemical separation techniques to analyze their radioactive content in the laboratory [1]. The results of this study contribute substantially to understanding villages worldwide with high incidence rates of cancer and to informing future radiation monitoring and management strategies in comparable communities. The results of one of the granite rocks samples showed specific activity of the Potassium-40, at 1703 Bq/kg, which is five times higher than that found in Qassim, Saudi Arabia for the Potassium-40 [2]. The overall potential sources of the radiation exposure are identified, and the effective prevention strategies are devised, making this study is a crucial step towards enhancing public health outcomes in Saudi Arabia.