BIOACCUMULATION

Lesson 6
Bioaccumulation
 An increase in the concentration
of a chemical in an organism
over time, compared to the
chemical's concentration in the
environment.
 Occurs naturally
 And necessary for certain
minerals and macromolecules
Bioaccumulation
Problematic when bioaccumulate are toxins
 Common toxic chemicals in our environment:

 Mercury mad hatters, tuna

 DDT  insecticide, 1970’s,eagles

 Lead  gasoline

 PCB whales & belugas

 Strontium 90 – fallout from atomic bombs

Biomagnification
 The increased
concentration of a toxic
chemical the higher an
animal is on the food
chain.
 The higher an organism
on the food pyramid
the larger the
concentration of
chemicals
Example
 Suppose an osprey eats 300g of fish per day. The
fish tissue consumed by the osprey has an average
DDT concentration of 0.0001g/g. How much DDT
is the osprey consuming in one day?


 300g of fish x 0.00001 g/g of fish = 0.0003g of

DDT per day for the osprey
 Now, suppose a bald eagle also eats 300 g of food
per day. But, the bald eagle eats seal carcasses that
have washed up on the beach.


 The seal had eaten fish-eating fish with 0.0001g/g of

DDT in their tissue. Much of the seal’s body is made
up of blubber, and DDT bioaccumulates in the seal.
So, the seal now has 0.0002 g/g of DDT in its tissue.

 If the bald eagle eats 300 g of seal, how much DDT
does the bald eagle consume in one day?
 300g of seal x 0.0002 g/g of seal= 0.06g of DDT
per day for the bald eagle
 What is Mercury (Hg)
 Hg is a silvery, liquid metal at room
temperature
 "heavy metals."
 Like water, Hg can evaporate and
become airborne.
 Because it is an element, mercury
does not break down into less toxic
substances.
 Once mercury escapes to the
environment, it circulates in and out
of the atmosphere until it ends up in
the bottoms of lakes and oceans.
Where Does Mercury Come
From?
 Mercury is a naturally
occurring element.
 Mercury ore - cinnabar
- is mined
Mercury enters the environment
from:
 Natural sources such
as volcanoes and the
weathering of rocks;
 Our intentional uses of
mercury;
 Our unintentional
releases of mercury
from burning fossil
fuels and smelting
metals.
 CFL
 E-waste
Questions:
 In your own words, explain what bioaccumulation is

 How does biomagnifications

 Develop a food chain for the James Bay low lands

that could potentially have biomagnifications
happening.
