ASSESSMENT OF BODY POTASSIUM LEVEL BY GENDER AND AGE IN KOREAN ADULT GROUP.

ABSTRACT

Most internal radiation dose resulting from natural radionuclides is due to radon and radioactive potassium. Total body potassium (TBK) in human body may vary by ethnic group, gender and age. The objective of this study was to measure TBK and body potassium concentration in Korean subjects. Body potassium concentrations of the subjects were measured with a whole-body counter for 283 adult males and 181 adult females. Average TBK value and body potassium level were 111.2 g and 1.5 g kg-1 for males, while for females they were 71.7 g and 1.4 g kg-1. TBK increased with increasing body weight. Body potassium level per body weight was inversely proportional to age in both genders. The annual effective doses due to 40K in the human body of Korean population were calculated to be 0.15 and 0.13 mSv for males and females, respectively.