Action star Chuck Norris is suing 11 drug companies that he claims are responsible for poisoning his wife with a chemical used in MRI scanning.

Former model Gena Norris, 54, had three MRI scans in one week five years ago to assess her rheumatoid arthritis.

But she claims the dye used to improve the clarity of her scans - gadolinium - left her close to death, costing $2million in out-of-pocket medical fees, and says she has suffered permanent weakness, exhaustion, bouts of pain, cognitive issues and a burning feeling ever since.

Now movie star Chuck, 77, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of his wife of 19 years against a plethora of manufacturers who produce the contrast dye, including McKesson and Bracco, two heavyweights in the industry.

Former model Gena Norris, 54, pictured with her husband of 19 years, action star Chuck Norris, 77, in 2009. They are suing 11 drug companies over an MRI chemical which they claim left Gena close to death, with lingering physical impairments, and a need for regular stem cell therapy

The lawsuit filed on Wednesday in San Francisco alleges that the gadolinium left Gena with Gadolinium Deposition Disease, a rare syndrome triggered by the dye.

In the years since, she claims, she has been forced to have regular stem cell therapies to treat lingering issues with her central nervous system.

She said: 'Unfortunately, litigation is the only course of action we can take to hold the drug companies accountable for threatening the lives of so many innocent people who undergo MRIs.

'These companies continue to say that there is no link between gadolinium and adverse events, even though the evidence is overwhelming that this heavy metal stays in the body for years, rather than hours.'

Gadolinium is a metal found in so-called contrast agents used in many MRIs. Studies have shown it is retained by organs such as the brain, bones and skin. The American College of Radiology said in a statement last year that gadolinium-based contrast agents have been used for diagnosis and treatment guidance in more than 300 million patients worldwide since the late 1980s and provide 'crucial, life-saving medical information.'

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in May it found no evidence that retained gadolinium was harmful. A European Union agency reached the same conclusion in July but still recommended suspending some gadolinium contrast agents as a precaution.

The law firm representing the Norris', Cutter Law, has filed numerous lawsuits in recent weeks on behalf of people who it also says are suffering from gadolinium poisoning.

The Norris' lawsuit acknowledges no official, publicly stated link between gadolinium and symptoms reported by people who believe the metal has affected their health. But that's in part because blood and urine testing for gadolinium only became available recently and most doctors were not aware of any disease that was associated with gadolinium other than one that affects people with kidney problems, the lawsuit said.

'One of the problems is this is a very misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed condition,' said Todd Walburg, an attorney for the Norris'.

The lawsuit accuses several manufacturers of gadolinium contrast agents of knowing about their risks, but failing to warn consumers. It seeks more than $10 million in damages, saying the Norris' have had to spend millions of dollars on treatment for Gena Norris.