摘要：Two diseases of livestock, "alkali disease"and"blind staggers, "are known to occur to in parts of the high localized seleniferous areas, but in Japan, selenium toxicosis is not a problem in the field of environmental health. However, it is important to know selenium poisoning in view of environmental pollution. This review primarily discusses oral toxicity of selenium from many references which were selected in order to establish a standard limit for water quality for public water supply in Japan. The environmental toxicity of selenium is evaluated from hygienic-chemical point of view. This review also includes history of selenium toxicosis, acute, subacute, and chronic toxicity, carcinogenesis, cytogenetic toxicity, absorption, distribution and excretion, relation of selenium to metabolism of protein, metabolism in liver, especially mechanism of methylation of selenium, and a notable relationship between selenium and murcury.
关键词：chromosome aberration;demethylation of methylmercury chloride;sodium selenate;sodium selenite;dimethyl selenide;trimethylselenium ion;toxicity of selenium compounds;biosynthesis of dimethyl selenide;carcinogenesis of selenium compounds;cytogenetic toxicity
