UK legal limit: 10 µg/L. What selenium is, its health context, and how to check and reduce it in your tap water.
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Selenium is a naturally occurring element and an essential nutrient in small amounts, obtained mostly from food. It can dissolve into water from selenium-bearing rocks. The UK legal limit (PCV) for selenium in drinking water is 10 µg/L.
Selenium is essential in trace quantities but harmful at high doses over long periods, which is why drinking water is capped at 10 µg/L. UK tap water is well within this limit, and dietary intake is the main source for most people.
Reverse osmosis certified to NSF/ANSI 58 reduces selenium effectively. At UK tap water concentrations, treatment is not generally required.
Selenium is reported by 115 supply zones in our dataset, with a highest recorded mean of 1.2 µg/L — around one-eighth of the 10 µg/L limit. All reporting zones sit well within the standard. Enter your postcode above to see your zone.
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Selenium occurs naturally at low levels. In our data, 115 zones report it with a highest mean of 1.2 µg/L, well below the 10 µg/L legal limit.
The UK Prescribed Concentration Value for selenium in drinking water is 10 µg/L.
Selenium is an essential nutrient in small amounts and is obtained mainly from food. It is only harmful at high doses over long periods, which is why drinking water is limited to 10 µg/L.
Reverse osmosis systems certified to NSF/ANSI 58 reduce selenium. At UK tap water levels this is not usually necessary.
At UK tap water levels selenium is not a health concern and is well within the limit. Enter your postcode above to check your supply zone.