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Selenium

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Biological Monitoring of Toxic Metals

Part of the book series: Rochester Series on Environmental Toxicity ((RSET))

Abstract

Selenium is widely but unevenly distributed in nature. The average concentration in the earth’s crust is 0.009 μg/g. The average concentrations in local soils range from below 0.06 μg/g (selenium impoverished) to above 8 μg/g (seleniferous), and may be as high as 30 μg/g. Concentrations in excess of 300 μg/g were found in seams of coal, where water leached selenium into surrounding soil. Elemental selenium, basic ferric selenite and calcium selenate are the most common forms of selenium in soil, but plants and animals continually add organic selenium to the topsoil. Greater alkalinity and depleted organic content of soil favor the release of selenium compounds into water and their absorption by plants, while acidity and abundance of iron obstruct release and absorption. In seleniferous soil, some primary selenium indicator plants, such as Astragalus (milk vetch) can accumulate selenium up to a few mg/g tissue (Frost and Lish, 1975; Rosenfeld and Beath, 1964; Thomson and Robinson, 1980; Yang et al., 1983).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC Toxicology Unit, Medical Research Council Laboratories, Carshalton, Surrey, UK

    Laszlo Magos & George G. Berg

  2. Division of Toxicology, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, 14642, USA

    Laszlo Magos & George G. Berg

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  1. Laszlo Magos
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  2. George G. Berg
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Rochester Shool of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA

    Thomas W. Clarkson

  2. The Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    Lars Friberg

  3. University of Umea, Umea, Sweden

    Gunnar F. Nordberg

  4. Stauffer Chemical Company, Farmington, Connecticut, USA

    Polly R. Sager

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© 1988 Plenum Press, New York

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Magos, L., Berg, G.G. (1988). Selenium. In: Clarkson, T.W., Friberg, L., Nordberg, G.F., Sager, P.R. (eds) Biological Monitoring of Toxic Metals. Rochester Series on Environmental Toxicity. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0961-1_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0961-1_16

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