Annual variations in the average selenium intake in Finland: cereal products and milk as sources of selenium in 1979/80.

Grain, flour and milk samples were collected in spring 1980 and analysed for selenium. The selenium content of flour was approximately 10 times higher than in 1975-1977, and that of milk twice as high. The increase in the selenium content of flour is a reflection of the massive grain imports in 1979/80. The increased selenium level in milk was more unexpected, and may at least partly be due to the increased use of fodders enriched with selenium. The average intake of selenium in 1980 may have been between 50 and 60 micrograms/d/person, while the mid seventies it was found to be substantially lower, about 30 microns/d.