Selenium poisoning in humans is reviewed from the perspective of the clinical laboratory. While evaluation of
selenium poisoning is straightforward when the analytic results are markedly elevated and the patient is acutely symptomatic, distinguishing toxic from non-toxic elevations is a more frequent issue and more challenging. A significant problem is that
selenium is determined as its total concentration in spite of the fact that different chemical forms of
selenium have different toxic potentials. In the published reports reviewed herein, serum
selenium concentrations span the following ranges: 400-30,000 micro g/L associated with acute toxicity, 500-1400 micro g/L associated with chronic toxicity, and <1400 micro g/L free of toxicity; the category is determined by signs and symptoms in the patient. Most reports that describe acute
selenium poisoning involve ingestion of inorganic compounds such as
selenious acid, found in gun-bluing agents, and fatalities that occur within the first day are associated with postmortem blood
selenium levels >1400 micro g/L. Tissue
selenium levels show a complex pattern and significant elevations in organs such as kidney are not always indicative of toxicity. As with many
trace elements, measuring
selenium concentrations in body fluids and tissues tends to be easier than understanding what the results mean.