Abstract: Radionuclides ingested in food and to a lesser extent, water, account for a substantial part of the average radiation doses received by various organs of the human body, especially the skeleton. A study of natural radionuclides in rice consumed in Saudi Arabia was performed. The study targeted the natural radionuclides 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K, in addition to heavy metals (Cd, Zn, Fe,Cr, Pb and V). It was found that rice consumption in Saudi Arabia is radiologically safe for the presence of the investigated radionuclides. The presence of 40 K in all samples in higher levels was anticipated due to its natural abundance. The levels of the toxic metals, Lead (pb), Cadmium (cd) were not detected in examined rice samples. The mean values of Iron, zinc and manganese were higher than findings reported by other studies in literature. The present study is the first at the national level to investigate the radioactivity and heavy metals of rice in Saudi Arabia. The findings of this study will help in establishing a baseline of radioactivity and heavy metals for public exposure from foodstuff ingestion
