1. Bioaccumulation & Biomagnification
Chemicals in our Environment

2. Bioaccumulation
The gradual buildup, over time, of a chemical in a LIVING ORGANISIM

3. Why Does This Happen? Chemicals are taken up faster than they are usedOr
Chemicals can’t be broken down by the organism for use
- can’t get rid of chemicals bc they get suck in “adipose” tissue

4. Pollutants
Chemical pollutants that are bioaccumulated come from many sources
Pesticides
Industrial Smoke Stacks
Automobile Emissions
Deliberate Discharge of Compounds into Water

5. Soil(10ppm)Earthworms(141ppm)Robins(444ppm)
Biomagnification
The buildup of substances by successive trophic levels
Example: A predator will have higher concentrations of a chemical compared to its prey
DDT
Soil(10ppm)Earthworms(141ppm)Robins(444ppm)

6. i.e. mercury in salmon

7. 24 units
12 units
6 units
2 units
1 unit

8. DDT Dicholoro-diphenyl-trichloroethane
An insecticide used in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s
entered the environment in run-off from land
Was banned in 1972 after the Bald Eagle population had a noticeable crash.
- DDT affected reproduction of fish eating birds
- banned in 1970s

9. What is the difference
Biomagnification
Bioaccumulation