PART 5_2 Chemical contaminants and ecotoxicology

Bioaccumulation - where the chemical
concentration in an organism achieves a level
that exceeds that in the water/media as a result
of chemical uptake through all routes of
exposure.
Bioaccumulation factor = Conc. in organism
Conc. in food
(or ingested water)
•Bio-accumulation of Cd is higher than most
metals as it is assimilated rapidly and
excreted slowly
•depends on the rate of excretion