Introduction to 2~(nd)Issue on Special Topic:Selenium and Mercury as Interactive Environmental Indicators

摘要

This is the second issue of Environmental Bioindicators presenting invited articlesdescribing interactions between methylmercury (MeHg) and selenium (Se). The findingsdescribed in these articles confirm the importance of using Se as a bioindicator of environ-mental and physiological susceptibility to Hg exposure, since these and similar studiesindicate the relationship between Hg toxicology and the Se-physiology pathways areimportant aspects of the environmental Hg issue. The results of these multi-disciplinarystudies of Hg-Se interactions coincide and complement one another, and the status of thescience on this issue appears to be making the transition from "converging research" to"confirmatory studies". It is gratifying to note that progress in this research area is improv-ing both understanding of both MeHg toxicity and Se physiology.