The element selenium could be regarded as a new entrant to the field of medical geology. It is of special importance to the developing countries of the tropical belt where there appears to be an apparent association with some diseases. Since selenium is not an element that is determined in routine investigations, the real impact of selenium excess or deficiency on the population may be hidden. Recently however, the importance of selenium as a medically important element has received increasing attention and many studies, notably in China, have been carried out on the epidemiology of selenium-associated diseases.
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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Dissanayake, C., Chandrajith, R. (2009). Selenium- A New Entrant to Medical Geology. In: Introduction to Medical Geology. Erlangen Earth Conference Series. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00485-8_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-00485-8_9
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