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bioaccumulation
(redirected from Bioconcentration)

   Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
bi·o·ac·cu·mu·la·tion (b--kymy-lshn)
n.
The increase in the concentration of a substance, especially a contaminant, in an organism or in the food chain over time.

bioaccumulation
process producing an increase in the concentration of chemicals (usually toxins) in the tissues of organisms with each increase in the trophic level in the food chain. Examples include chlorinated hydrocarbons which reach their greatest concentrations in predatory birds and pelicans, and ciguatera in which the toxins are concentrated in large predatory fish such as gropers, barracudas and mackerel.


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In November 2005, a workshop was held for experts from governments, industry, and academia to examine the availability and quality of in vivo fish bioconcentration and bioaccumulation data, and to propose steps to improve its prediction.
The strategies determine bioaccumulation potential using one or more of three measures: the bioaccumulation factor (BAF), the bioconcentration factor (BCF), and the log of the octanol-water partition (log Kow).
Bioaccumulation, bioconcentration, and biomagnification all refer to the process by which certain highly persistent chemicals, including certain pesticides and other synthetic organics, concentrate in aquatic organisms through the food chain as these organisms ingest a significant number of smaller organisms containing these materials.
 
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