Urinary excretion measurements for the assessment of body burden of radiocaesium in man: differences between potassium and creatinine normalisation

Relationships between 24-h urinary excretion and body burden of Cs-137 Obta ined in a south-Swedish population, together with data from the literature, were applied to urine samples collected in 1994-95 from adult subjects liv ing in Russia, in order to estimate their average body burden of Cs-137. Es timates obtained through creatinine normalisation of the Cs-137 content in the Russian urine were a factor of 2 higher than estimates obtained through potassium normalisation. The accuracy of both these normalisation methods is discussed, as well as the influence of the difference in dietary habits between the two populations. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights rese rved.