A simple efficient procedure for extracting and concentrating arginine-8-vasopressin (AVP) from urine has been coupled with a specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay in order to measure antidiuretic hormone (ADH) excretion in normal humans under various physiological stimuli. Antisera have been raised in rabbits injected with lysine-vasopressin (LVP) or AVP coupled with bovine serum albumin. The antiserum selected for the assay which inhibits the antidiuresis induced in the rat by AVP is used at a final dilution of 1 : 50,000 and possesses a high association constant of 1 x 10(11) 1.mol-1. The limit of detection of the RIA system is 0.5 micronUI/ml of urine (1.25 pg). Urinary ADH has been extracted from urine by Miller and Moses method. Mean recovery of added vasopressin averaged 90.2% +/- 11 (SD) and assay of serial dilutions of such extracts showed that they behave in the assay system in the same way as synthetic AVP standards. Moreover comparison of the results obtained by the RIA to those given by the biological method using the ethanol anesthetized rat showed excellent correlation (r = 0.9 p less than 0.001). Under ad libitum fluid and food intake, mean daily urinary excretion of AVP (uncorrected for recovery) determined in 22 subjects was found to be 30.58 +/- 11.64 mU/h with no significant difference between men and women. In response to an oral waterload ADH became undetectable at the peak of diuresis. Following a 16 hr fluid deprivation, ADH rose moderately. A significant correlation has been found between urine osmolality and AVP excretion rate.