  Using the relativistic Hartree-Fock approximation, we calculate the rates of
atomic ionization by absorption of pseudoscalar particles in the mass range
from 10 to $\sim$ 50 keV. We present numerical results for atoms relevant for
the direct dark matter searches (e.g. Ar, Ge, I and Xe), as well as the
analytical formula which fits numerical calculations with few per cent accuracy
and may be used for multi-electron atoms, molecules and condensed matter
systems.
