Selenium is an essential nutrient at low levels.
No Health Advisories have been established for short-term exposures. There is no evidence that selenium has the potential to cause cancer from lifetime exposures in drinking water. Usage Patterns Selenium is used extensively in the manufacture and production of glass, pigments, rubber, metal alloys, textiles, petroleum, medical therapeutic agents, and photographic emulsions. Selenium dioxide is the most widely used selenium compound in industry. There are no true deposits of selenium anywhere and it cannot economically be recovered from the earth directly.