Hair selenium content during infancy and childhood

Hair selenium content was estimated by instrumental neutron activation analysis in Libyan infants and children. There was no significant difference between the values of young infants from North and South Libya. The hair selenium content rapidly decreased from 1071 ±75 ng/g in newborns to 301±99 ng/g in 7–10 months old infants in North Libya and to 557±204 ng/g in South Libya. In North Libya the values of preschool children were 409±117 ng/g and those of school children 464±124 ng/g.