Ecological Assessment of Selenium in the Aquatic Environment

Selenium can be beneficial but it can also be toxic, particularly to egg-laying vertebrates (fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles). Concentrations of selenium in the environment are increasing globally as a result of mining, power generation, agriculture, and animal husbandry. Population-level effects from selenium in natural ecosystems have been definitively documented in three freshwater lakes and reservoirs and are suspected elsewhere in both freshwater and estuarine environments.

Ecological Assessment of Selenium in the Aquatic Environment summarizes the state-of-the-science and provides globally applicable guidance for assessing and managing the environmental effects of selenium. This book is based on the deliberations of a multidisciplinary and international group of scientists, managers, and policymakers. Key content includes:

* Problem Formulation: Context for Selenium Risk Assessment
* Environmental Partitioning of Selenium
* Selenium Bioaccumulation and Trophic Transfer
* Selenium Toxicity to Aquatic Organisms
* Selenium Risk Characterization
* Commentary: Persistence of Some Fish Populations in High-Selenium Environments

Editor(s): Peter M. Chapman, William J. Adams, Marjorie L. Brooks, Charles G. Delos, Samuel N. Luoma, William A. Maher, Harry M. Ohlendorf, Theresa S. Presser, D. Patrick Shaw
978-1-4398-2677-5, 358 pp, 26 April 2010

Click here for buying it