ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a detailed discussion on the occurrence and production, uses, chemical and physical properties, exposure and exposure limits, toxicokinetics, and effects of selenium in humans. Selenium and tellurium are found in small quantities in many sulfide minerals. It is used in photoelectric cells, in rectifiers, in glass and ceramics, in pigments, in some metal alloys, and in rubber production. Once absorbed, selenium is generally distributed, with highest concentrations in the liver and kidneys, less in the heart, lung, spleen, pancreas and adrenals, and still less in the muscles and brain. Lauwerys feels that selenium concentrations in blood and urine reflect primarily recent exposure. In humans industrially exposed, acute toxicity is primarily due to the irritative and allergenic properties of selenious acid, formed from water and selenium dioxide. The effects of selenium in humans include information on acute toxicity, chronic toxicity, biochemistry, specific organs and systems, teratogenicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity.
