The SGS projects on the assessments of the environmental impacts of Earth materials include the measurement of the concentrations of natural radioactive materials in rocks, soils, and water, with particular focus on uranium, thorium, potassium, and radioactive radon and on the calculations of their radiation doses.
Radon gas is an environmental hazard to which man is exposed through inhalation or the long-term ingestion of water that is contaminated with Rn, which causes cancer.
Human beings are exposed to approximately 81% of natural radiation, where 8% of this radiation emanate from the soils and rocks due to the presence of natural radioactive elements in them. The cosmic rays, whose intensity depends on altitude above sea level, also contributes 8%.
- Understanding the sources and pathways of environmental pollution problems.
- Contribution to the reduction or control of the risks of environmental problems to the surrounding environments.
- Minimizing the harmful effects of environmental pollution.
- Measurement of the concentrations of radioactive radon gas in the Dammam, Dhahran, and Khobar areas.
- Impacts of environmental radioactivity and their health risk indicators in the Dammam, Dhahran, and Khobar areas.