Toxicity selenite

The soluble teUurites are more toxic than the selenites and arsenites. Hydrogen teUuride, formed by the action of water on aluminum teUuride [12043-29-7] Al2Te2, is a toxic gas (43). 

Boisson, F., M. Gnassia-Barelli, and M. Romeo. 1995. Toxicity and accumulation of selenite and selenate in the unicellular marine algae Cricosphaera elongata. Arch. Environ. Contamin. Toxicol. 28 497-493. Bovee, E.C. and T.L. O Brien. 1982. Some effects of selenium, vanadium and zirconium on the swimming rate of Tetrahymena pyriformis a bioassay study. Univ. Kans. Sci. Bull. 52 (4) 39 44. 

Klaverkamp, J.F., D.A. Hodgkins, and A. Lutz. 1983a. Selenite toxicity and mercury-selenium interactions in juvenile fish. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 12 405-413. 

Nassos, P.A., J.R. Coats, R.L. Metcalf, D.D. Brown, and L.G. Hansen. 1980. Model ecosystem, toxicity, and uptake evaluation of 75Se-selenite. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 24 752-758. 

Ort, J.F. and J.D. Latshaw. 1978. The toxic level of sodium selenite in the diet of laying chickens. Jour. Nutr. 108 1114-1120. 

Yonemoto, J., H. Satoh, S. Himeno, and T. Suzuki. 1983. Toxic effects of sodium selenite on pregnant mice and modification of the effects by Vitamin E or reduced glutathione. Teratology 28 333-340. 

Selenium, in the form of selenate or selenite, is toxic to D. desulfuricans (Tomei et al. 1995) and Wolinella succinogenes (Tomei et al. 1992) at elevated levels. At sublethal levels of 0.1-1. OmM selenite or 10 mM selenate, minimal levels of growth is observed with both D. desulfuricans and Wolinella succinogenes. With both selenate and selenite, colloidal elemental selenium (Se°) is produced inside the cell and released into the culture fluid after cell death. This reduction of Se(VI) and Se(IV) by these anaerobes is not coupled to growth and proceeds by mechanisms that have not yet been identified. Selenite and selenate reduction with formation of elemental selenium by these nonrespiratory processes serve to detoxify the environment for future bacteria and may be important for the geochemical cycle of selenium. 

Commercial selenium disulfide SeSj has been found to be very untoxic (for mice LD 50 per os 3.7 g/kg). Thus the material is 100 times less toxic than selenites. Daily oral administration of 5, 25, or 125 mg/kg of SeS2 for seven and a half weeks was tolerated by mice without signs of intoxication. As SeSj is used as a constituent of shampoos several investigations on the effects of the sulfide on the eyes, skin, and hair have been published chemotherapeutic activity... 

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