Table III.
Estimated annual selenium (Se) budget; tonnes Se produced from mining industries (2) and Se produced in agriculture and fisheries.*
| Annual Se budget | Tonnes produced | Tonnes consumed |
|---|---|---|
| Se production | ||
| Mining industries | 2300 | |
| Cereals, meat, vegetables, fruit, fish | 400 | |
| Se need/consumption | ||
| Human requirement, prevention of Se deficiency (0.05 μg/day/person) | 119 | |
| Domestic animal requirement (3 500 000 000 head–365 – 0.100 μg) | 130 | |
| Total | 2700 | 249 |
| If human requirement is higher (and animals unchanged): | ||
| Prevention of several diseases (0.1 mg/day/person) | 367 | |
| Prevention of certain cancers (0.25 mg/day/person) | 723 | |
| These requirements may be met in several ways: | ||
| Fertilizing one-third of arable land (20 g Se/ha) | 1000 | |
| Fertilizing one-third of pasture (20 g Se/ha) | 2000 | |
| Direct supplementation of one-third of all humans (0.05 mg/day) | 40 | |
| Direct supplementation of one-third of all animals (0.1 mg/day) | 40 | |
| Supplementation of one-third of all animals via feed (0.1 mg Se per kg feed 1 100 000 000 5 kg) | 550 | |
*
An estimate of tonnes Se needed/consumed by the world's population of humans (6.5 billion people) and livestock is also shown. Examples of how to meet the world's Se requirement are shown.