[The effect of chronic internal irradiation from incorporated radionuclides on liver function]

On chronic supply to the body of a mixture of nuclear division products lanthanum-140, barium-140, tellurium-132, neodymium-147, neptunium-239, zirconium-95, niobium-95, iodine-131, cerium-141, -144, cesium-134, -137, and ruthenium-103 are detectable in liver tissue within the first months. In the 2 to 4 years following the disaster, liver tissue primarily accumulates cerium-144, radium-226, thorium-228, -232, ruthenium-106, antimony-125, and europium-154. Within the first periods the liver radionuclide content was 19 to 31% higher than that in the blood, and in the following years it was 24 to 38% higher. The radionuclides indicated were actively excreted with the bile into the gastrointestinal lumen. Within the first months after the chronic internal radiation the functional liver disorders were detectable in 30 to 40% of the patients. Later on diverse acute and chronic diseases of the liver, gallbladder and pancreas were detectable in 20 to 30% of the patients. The radionuclide content in the body was found to be in parallel with functional liver disorders. Acceleration of radionuclide excretion from the body results in liver function improvement.