Determination of the metal balance shift induced in small fresh water fish by X-ray irradiation using PIXE analysis

The balance of essential elements in organisms can be changed by environmental stresses. A small fresh water fish, the medaka, was irradiated with X-rays (total dose: 17 Gy, which is not a lethal dose for this fish). Essential elements in the liver, gall bladder, kidney, spleen, heart and brain of the fish were measured by the particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) method and compared with those of a control fish. Various changes in the elemental balance shift were observed. The PIXE method can analyze many elements in a small sample simultaneously, and so the changes in elemental content induced by irradiation were readily determined.