The impact of the oil and gas industry on NORMs of groundwater and their annual effective dose in Ma’rib, central Yemen

The gamma-ray spectrum equipped with a high-purity germanium detector was used to measure the naturally occurring radioactive materials of groundwater samples resources from the petroleum-producing communities of Ma’rib Province—Yemen. Thirty-five samples were collected from different sites. The 40 K, 232 Th, and 226 Ra activity concentrations of groundwater samples for oil and non-oil communities were measured. The annual effective doses due to 40 K, 232 Th, and 226 Ra were calculated and did not show a significant health impact. These results can contribute to building a database and provide a general background of the detectable TENORMs for studied areas, which will be useful in any radiological emergency. Significantly, the Ma’rib region is rich in oil and gas.