Abstract
The weathering of rocks and soil causes uranium to collect in groundwater. In this article, we attempted to assess the activity concentrations of uranium and U-234/U-238 isotopic ratios in various groundwater samples and plants obtained from the Ha'il region, Saudi Arabia. The results showed that the concentrations of U-238 ranged between 0.08 +/- 0.04 and 1.11 +/- 0.06 Bq L-1, with an average of 0.67 +/- 0.05 Bq L-1. Activity concentrations of U-234 ranged between 0.12 +/- 0.01 and 2.2 +/- 0.8 Bq L-1, with an average of 1.26 +/- 0.11 Bq L-1. The international permissible limit of uranium in groundwater is 0.372 Bq L-1. The U-234/U-238 activity ratios in the collected groundwater samples ranged between 1.5 +/- 0.09 and 2.49 +/- 1.27 Bq L-1, with an average of 1.95 +/- 0.52 Bq L-1. In fruit-bearing trees, the U-234/U-238 activity ratios were 1.57 +/- 0.84, 2.58 +/- 1.01, and 2.69 +/- 0.95 Bq L-1 for lemon, fig, and narenj. In fruit-bearing shrubs, the U-234/U-238 activity ratios were 2.37 +/- 0.69 and 2.68 +/- 0.69 Bq L-1 for green pepper and eggplant. Our goal is to increase the understanding of the factors that govern uranium's activity and isotopic composition to better understand its prospective utilization as a tracer in groundwater chemistry and hydrology, as well as the possibility of exploiting this area for irrigation. In this investigation area, the groundwater and plants were unfit for human consumption.