Concentrations of Th and U in Human Tissues Determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

In about 20 specimens of untreated human soft tissues, Th and U, were analyzed by ICP-MS. The concentration values obtained, particularly in the case of U, tended to be lower than reported ones. In order to investigate the source of the discrepancy, human tissue samples (treated for preservation), which had been analyzed for U in the previous study by fission tracks, were analyzed again by ICP-MS. This demonstrated the difference may be a reflection of the variance between treated and untreated samples. The problems involved in the analysis and the sample treatment are discussed.