Selenium metal is odorless and tasteless, but the vapor has a putrid odor. The material is highly poisonous, and is used in insecticides and in ship-hull paints. Foods grown on soils containing selenium may have toxic effects, and some weeds growing in the Western states have high concentrations of selenium and are poisonous to animals eating them.

The most important uses for selenium are in the electronics industry, in such components as current rectifiers, photoelectric cells, xerography plates, and as a component in intermetallic compounds for thermoelectric applications. ... Selenium is also used in steels to make them free-machining, with up to 0.35% used.

SELENIUM METAL PELLETS Electronic GRADE