The amount of selenium in the water is taken up into the microorganisms and they in turn accumulate the selenium to a higher level. Then a small minnow eats the microorganisms and they bio accumulate more selenium in their bodies. Then a crappie or blue gill eat the minnows and again the amount of selenium is increased in the bluegills body. Then a largemouth bass or a cat fish eats the bluegills (notice the S as in Plural) and they increase the selenium another ten fold. But the time we eat ten bass or ten catfish the amount of selenium in the human body is 1,000,000 time higher than it is in the water. So the more fish you eat the more selenium you get in your body.
To get that much selenium into your body by just drinking the water would take a lot of water. Which is why they test the fish tissue to make sure that people know and understand the dangers. It's your choice whether to eat the fish or not. But at least you have been warned and you are more educated in the potential dangers.
The problem is that it take time and the more fish you eat the more likely you will have selenium building up in your body. So the danger is not immediate. It's delayed and that's the danger. You get a false sense of security as you don't die immediately after eating some fish. But the more fish you eat the more in danger you get from the selenium in your body.
Originally Posted by jcb
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