bioaccumulative
Building up internally
Bioaccumulative describes substances that accumulate in living organisms faster than they can be broken down or excreted.
Pesticides and heavy metals like mercury are bioaccumulative—they build up in tissue over time and concentrate as they move up the food chain: Bioaccumulative toxins in small fish become dangerous in the predators that eat them.
Liquid metallic element
- leadDense metal, symbol Pb
- PCBsBanned synthetic toxins
- DDTBanned chlorinated insecticide
- cadmiumElement forty-eight
arsenic · dioxins · pesticides · heavy metals · methylmercury · selenium · PFAS · flame retardants
Period for fifty-percent reduction
- stabilityResistance to displacement
- nondegradableCannot be decomposed naturally
- recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control
- lipophilicAttracted to fatty substances
fat-soluble · hydrophobic · long-lived · resistant · nonbiodegradable · inert · unreactive · persistent
Ecological feeding hierarchy
- aquatic lifeCreatures dwelling in water
- wildlifeUndomesticated natural organisms
- ecosystemsInterdependent organism-environment systems
- predatorsAnimals that kill prey
phytoplankton · zooplankton · benthos · invertebrates · fish · birds · mammals · sediments
Introduction of impurities
- poisonousCapable of causing death
- carcinogenicCauses cancer
- neurotoxicDamaging to nervous system
- mutagenicCausing permanent DNA changes
teratogenic · chronic exposure · reproductive harm · immunotoxic · biomarkers · lethal dose
mercury
Liquid metallic element
cadmium · arsenic · dioxins · pesticides · heavy metals · methylmercury · selenium · PFAS · flame retardants · microplastics
half-life
Period for fifty-percent reduction
- stabilityResistance to displacement
- nondegradableCannot be decomposed naturally
- recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control
lipophilic · fat-soluble · hydrophobic · long-lived · resistant · nonbiodegradable · inert · unreactive · persistent · bioavailable
food chain
Ecological feeding hierarchy
- aquatic lifeCreatures dwelling in water
- wildlifeUndomesticated natural organisms
- ecosystemsInterdependent organism-environment systems
predators · phytoplankton · zooplankton · benthos · invertebrates · fish · birds · mammals · sediments · apex predators
contamination
Introduction of impurities
- poisonousCapable of causing death
- carcinogenicCauses cancer
- neurotoxicDamaging to nervous system
mutagenic · teratogenic · chronic exposure · reproductive harm · immunotoxic · biomarkers · lethal dose
bioaccumulativebiodegradable
Able to decompose naturally
transient · short-lived · self-limiting · unstable · decomposable