Connie Labrum, age 14, of Roosevelt

Where do we get selenium?

Selenium is one of the basic chemical elements from which everything in the world is made  It is somewhat like sulphur, though much more rare  It is used in making tough metal alloys, in paints and in medicines  Its main use, however, is in electrical equipment where it is used in the changing of alternating current to direct current 

We find our selenium supplies mixed with our great sulphur deposits, most of which are along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico  It is extracted from the flue dust which forms in the sulphur refineries  It also occurs in pyrite, which is a compound of sulphur, and in certain copper ores Selenium is extracted as a by product when these minerals are refined.