Whole body content and turnover of Cs and K.

In persons who had accumulated radiocesium from the fallout of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident, the amount of radiocesium and radiopotassium was measured in the total body and in urine. The stable Cs content in the urine was determined at the same time by instrumental nuclear activation analysis. From the data obtained, the total body Cs pool was calculated to be 1500 micrograms, that of K 110 g. The Cs turnover rate was found to be 0.64%/d for men and 0.81 for women; the K turnover 2.4 and 2.7, respectively. The Cs:K ratio in the total body was 4 times higher than that in urine, demonstrating that, in relation to the intake, the body is able to accumulate more Cs than K.