The influence of selenium on mercury distribution in mice after exposure to low dose Hg0 vapours

The influence of selenium administration on retention, elimination and organ distribution of mercury was studied in female mice exposed to 30 or 80 micrograms m -3 mercury vapour. The results demonstrated that, as after low doses of mercuric mercury, only excess selenium reduced the elimination of retained mercury vapour from the whole body. However, selenium was able to influence the organ distribution of mercury, even when the whole body burden of mercury was not affected. In mice, contrary to rats, selenium increased the lung and kidney concentrations of mercury without affecting its concentration in the liver.