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Accidental death from acute selenium poisoning.

Katharine A See¹, Peter S Lavercombe, Jasmine Dillon

¹St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. see_ka@hotmail.com

The Medical Journal of Australia

|October 4, 2006

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A 75-year-old man died from acute selenium poisoning after ingesting 10g of sodium selenite. This case highlights the dangers of unverified online health information and the myth that natural remedies are always safe.

Area of Science:

Toxicology
Oncology
Medical Case Reports

Background:

Selenium is an essential trace element with potential roles in cancer prevention.
The patient sought selenium supplementation for prostate cancer based on internet information.

Observation:

A 75-year-old male patient self-administered 10 grams of sodium selenite.
The patient presented with symptoms of acute selenium toxicity.

Findings:

Despite intensive medical care, the patient experienced cardiac arrest and died within 6 hours of ingestion.
Acute selenium poisoning can be rapidly fatal.

Implications:

Critically evaluating online health information is crucial to prevent self-harm.

Related Experiment Videos

The perceived safety of 'natural' therapies can be dangerously misleading.

This case underscores the importance of consulting healthcare professionals for medical advice.