Various organs have different densities.
Variables affecting tissue density:
(1) disease
(2) age
(3) gender
(4) state of the tissue (in vivo, fixed, manner of storage)
|
Organ or Tissue |
Grams per mL |
|
air |
0.001293 (1.293 mg/mL) |
|
lung (inflated) |
0.288 |
|
fat |
0.901 (0.9007) or 0.923 (0.917 to 0.939) |
|
amniotic fluid |
0.965 |
|
water |
0.9937 |
|
thyroid gland |
1.0 |
|
breast |
1.020 |
|
plasma |
1.027 |
|
brain |
1.036 (1.030 to 1.041) |
|
heart |
1.044 |
|
testes |
1.044 |
|
pancreas |
1.045 (1.040 to 1.050) |
|
skeletal muscle |
1.047 (1.038 to 1.056) |
|
kidney |
1.050 |
|
uterus |
1.052 |
|
spleen |
1.054 |
|
whole blood |
1.055 |
|
liver |
1.060 (1.050 to 1.070) |
|
erythrocytes |
1.096 |
|
lean soft tissue |
1.100 |
|
skin |
1.150 (1.110 to 1.190) |
|
protein |
1.34 |
|
bone, trabecular |
1.920 and higher |
|
teeth enamel |
2.945 (2.890 to 3.020) |
where:
• Most of the values are from a table in Chapter 2 (section 2.4.6) in Kay & Laby. If an organ was reported to show a range then the midpoint of the range is also given.
