Concentration and distribution of elements in organs and tissues

Distribution of radioactive nuclides in human body is one of the most important factors to estimate the radiation dose to human being. As the study using radionuclides is normally limited in human, it is quite useful to get information about distribution and concentration of their stable nuclides. In this study, neutron activation analysis (NAA) and particle induced X-ray emission analysis (PIXE) were applied to determination of stable elements in various human tissues and organs of 25 normal male Japanese. Both of these techniques can analyze many elements simultaneously and non-destructively with high sensitivity. Distribution of Br, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, I, Rb, Se and Zn in human body was shown as geometrical means of concentrations of these elements in 21 tissues and organs. The PIXE analysis has also a microbeam scanning characteristic which makes it possible to research a very small area continuously without separation of a sample into many small pieces. Using this characteristic, distribution of trace elements in kidney, cerebrum and bone were investigated in the microscopic view. The results obtained in this study are discussed in reference to the specific distributions and concentrations of various elements in human body. (author)