bioaccumulated
Built up biologically
Bioaccumulated describes substances that have built up in living organisms over time, absorbed faster than they can be eliminated.
Toxins like mercury or pesticides bioaccumulate as they move up the food chain, concentrating in predators: The fish contained bioaccumulated mercury from decades of industrial runoff.
The process is bioaccumulation.
Liquid metallic element
- leadDense metal, symbol Pb
- cadmiumElement forty-eight
- arsenicToxic metalloid element
- DDTBanned chlorinated insecticide
PCBs · dioxins · pesticides · heavy metals · flame retardants · methylmercury · microplastics · selenium
Toxins accumulating through food chains
- food chainEcological feeding hierarchy
- lipophilicAttracted to fatty substances
- half-lifePeriod for fifty-percent reduction
- uptakeAbsorption or understanding
sequestration · chronic exposure · absorption · retention · metabolism · steady state · dose-response
Interconnected predator-prey relationships
- apex predatorsDominant hunters, no natural enemies
- filter feedersOrganisms sieving food from water
- marine mammalsWarm-blooded ocean animals
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
shellfish · wildlife · ecosystem · bioindicators · sentinel species · predator-prey · secondary consumers · plankton
Neurological mercury poisoning condition
- carcinogenicCauses cancer
- neurotoxicDamaging to nervous system
- dietary intakeFood and drink ingested
- risk assessmentEvaluating likelihood of harm
mercury
Liquid metallic element
DDT · PCBs · dioxins · pesticides · heavy metals · flame retardants · methylmercury · microplastics · selenium · industrial chemicals
biomagnification
Toxins accumulating through food chains
- food chainEcological feeding hierarchy
- lipophilicAttracted to fatty substances
- half-lifePeriod for fifty-percent reduction
uptake · sequestration · chronic exposure · absorption · retention · metabolism · steady state · dose-response
food web
Interconnected predator-prey relationships
- apex predatorsDominant hunters, no natural enemies
- filter feedersOrganisms sieving food from water
- marine mammalsWarm-blooded ocean animals
sediment · shellfish · wildlife · ecosystem · bioindicators · sentinel species · predator-prey · secondary consumers · plankton
Minamata disease
Neurological mercury poisoning condition
- carcinogenicCauses cancer
- neurotoxicDamaging to nervous system
- dietary intakeFood and drink ingested
bioaccumulatedexcreted
Discharged from body
metabolized · eliminated · biodegraded · detoxified · cleared
bioaccumulateddiluted
Made weaker by adding liquid
dissipated · dispersed · attenuated · depleted · diminished
bioaccumulation, bioaccumulate, bioaccumulating, bioaccumulative