Selenium in Water

Selenium (Se) is an essential element for human nutrition, with the majority of our intake coming from foods such as nuts, cereals, meat, fish, and eggs. The concentration of Selenium in drinking water is usually low, and comes from natural minerals. In soils, selenium often occurs in soluble forms such as selenate, which are leached into rivers very easily by runoff increasing the amount of selenium in groundwater. Selenium in water is also a by-product of copper mining / smelting. Selenium is also used in photoelectric devises because its electrical conductivity varies with light. Naturally occurring selenium compounds have not been shown to be carcinogenic in animals. However, acute toxicity caused by high levels of selenium in water or other sources of intake has been observed in laboratory animals and in animals grazing in areas where high selenium levels exist in the soil. The US EPA has established the MCL for selenium in water at 0.05 mg/l.  
 
Selenium Water Treatment - Selenium contamination of water systems may result whenever new agricultural runoff courses through normally dry undeveloped lands. If you have high levels of selenium in your water the following are recommended selenium water treatment options. Anion exchange can reduce the amount of selenium in drinking water by 60 - 95%. Reverse Osmosis Systems are excellent at removing selenium in drinking water.