Bioaccumulation is when a substance cannot be processed by an organism and instead concentrates in the body, often leading to health problems. This can occur with toxins or even beneficial substances. Body fat is a common place for substances to bioaccumulate, and occupational diseases can result from exposure. Biomagnification is when the toxic substance is transferred up the food chain, creating a widespread environmental problem.
A substance is said to bioaccumulate when it cannot be expressed by an organism, which means that it concentrates in the body. The term is usually used to refer to toxins, although other substances that are sometimes beneficial are also known to bioaccumulate. Usually, however, the term is used to indicate a potential danger. A bioaccumulative substance is a material that tends to bioaccumulate in the body.
A substance bioaccumulates when the body is unable to process it, which means that it is not excreted through sweat, urine and other means. As the body continues to be exposed to the substance, the overall concentration in the body increases. In the case of a heavy metal like mercury, this can lead to serious health problems. Other theoretically harmless substances can be dangerous when they bioaccumulate in the body.
More typically, body fat harbors substances that bioaccumulate. When fat is burned for energy, toxins are released into the body. Some materials bioaccumulate in other parts of the body, such as bones. Depending on the substance, health problems can occur years after exposure, making it difficult to pinpoint the cause of the problems. This is often the case with cancers caused by environmental exposure. Sometimes, it’s impossible to determine what was causing the cancer, making it difficult to initiate environmental cleanups in a potentially toxic area or to determine if family members are also at risk.
Many occupational diseases are the result of bioaccumulation. People who are exposed to the same substance day after day in small concentrations can build up enough of the substance in their bodies to become ill. Another classic illustration of bioaccumulation is the rising level of mercury in fish worldwide or DDT poisoning of birds. Bioaccumulation has become a huge environmental problem due to pollution and human activities which have greatly increased the amount of bioaccumulative substances in the environment.
A related concept is biomagnification. In biomagnification, the toxic substance is transferred up the food chain, resulting in a more widespread environmental problem. For example, fish absorb mercury by feeding on contaminated water. When fish bioaccumulate mercury, other animals, including humans, are exposed to the toxic substance through fish consumption. Therefore, mercury can bioaccumulate in multiple species, creating a potentially very serious problem.
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