Selenium: Mercury's Magnet

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'In scientific jargon, selenium has an unusually high "binding affinity" for mercury. In layman's terms, this means that when the two elements are found together, they tend to connect, forming a new substance. This makes it difficult for the human body to absorb the mercury separately. So when mercury "binds" to selenium, it's no longer free to "bind" to anything else -- like brain tissue. 

The research world is still developing explanations for exactly how selenium cancels out mercury's potentially toxic effects, but most scientists accept one of two competing theories.' 


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