Environmental contaminants in food chain- bioaccumulation, bio-magnification of

persistent organic pollutants.

Bioaccumulation and biomagnification are two different processes that often occur in
tandem with one another. Bioaccumulation is the process by which toxins enter the food web
by building up in individual organisms, while biomagnification is the process by which toxins
are passed from one trophic level to the next (and thereby increase in concentration) within a
food web.

In order for biomagnification to occur, the pollutant must be:

1. long-lived
2. mobile
3. soluble in fats
4. biologically active
If a pollutant is short-lived, it will be broken down before it can become dangerous. If
it is not mobile, it will stay in one place and is unlikely to be taken up by organisms. If the
pollutant is soluble in water it will be excreted by the organism. Pollutants that dissolve in
fats, however, may be retained for a long time. It is traditional to measure the amount of
pollutants in fatty tissues of organisms such as fish. In mammals, we often test
the milk produced by females, since the milk has a lot of fat in it and because the very young
are often more susceptible to damage from toxins (poisons). If a pollutant is not active
biologically, it may biomagnify, but we really don't worry about it much, since it probably
won't cause any problems.
Synthetic (man-made) chemicals called Persistent Organic Pollutants, or POPs, are of
primary concern when looking at bioaccumulation and biomagnification. These chemicals do
not easily break down in the environment and can build up in the fatty tissues of living
organisms. Some examples of POPs include DDT (an insecticide) and PCBs (flame
retardants). Although the production of these chemicals was banned during the 1970s and
1980s, they can still be found in the oceans as well as the tissues of many marine animals
because of their ability to:
(1.) persist in the environment for long periods of time,
(2.) move within water, and
(3.) dissolve into the fatty tissues of living organisms.
 For all of these reasons, POPs like DDT and PCBs are especially good at
bioaccumulating and biomagnifying.
Bioaccumulation occurs at the base of a food web, usually within primary producers
like phytoplankton. These microscopic photosynthetic organisms absorb POPs directly from
the seawater and accumulate them in their bodies over time. The toxins build up in their
tissues because they are absorbed from the water at a rate faster than they can be metabolized.
Biomagnification occurs when slightly larger organisms called zooplankton feed upon
the contaminated phytoplankton and in turn absorb POPs into their own tissues at a higher
concentration. The more contaminated phytoplankton a zooplankton eats, the more pollutants
it will have in its body. In other words, the POPs can be passed from producer to consumer
(to consumer, to consumer, and so on…) Biomagnification can continue all the way up the
food web or chain. Because the amounts of POPs become more and more concentrated at
each trophic level, some of the ocean’s apex predators are at risk of gaining potentially fatal
levels of POPs within their bodies.
One large apex predator that is heavily impacted by the bioaccumulation and
biomagnification of POPs is the orca (Killer Whale). Researchers have found extremely high
levels of PCBs within the blubber of Arctic orcas, making them “the most toxic animal in the
Arctic.” Additionally, scientists in Japan have found that mother orcas are passing these
contaminants to their young through their milk, which has high fat content. PCBs are known
to cause problems with reproduction, and studies are currently being conducted to see if and
how POPs are impacting orcas in other ways.
Causes of Biomagnification
The release of toxic chemicals and pollutants into the environments such as the seas,
air, and land results in the accumulation of toxins and harmful substances in the environment.
The concentration of these toxic chemicals and pollutants seem to be very low when released
in different environments, it eventually accumulates and gets absorbed by lower organisms in
the food chains such as fish, earthworms, and plants. When the lower organisms are eaten by
other organism and the process goes up the trophic levels, biomagnifiaction occurs.
1. Agriculture: Agricultural pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers,
among other agricultural chemicals are highly toxic and often find way into the soils, rivers
or lakes and the seas through surface storm water runoff. The primary agricultural inputs
including pesticides, industrial by-product wastes, some fertilizers, and specific agrochemical
products contain traces of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, copper and lead.
These substances cause severe health impacts to humans and aquatic animals such as fish
when indirectly ingested and accumulate in the body tissues.
2. Organic contaminants: Manures and Biosolids frequently contain nutrients including
nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen. Furthermore, because they are industrially
processed, they may also have within them contaminants such as personal care products
(PPCPs) and pharmaceuticals. These products have been found in human and animal bodies
and are believed to have negatively health impacts to wildlife, animals, and humans.
3. Industrial manufacturing activities and pollution: The manufacturing processes of
industries indirectly or directly release toxic and harmful substances which find a way to the
soils, rivers, lakes and oceans. Industrial processes pollute the environment in several ways
by emitting or discharging toxic pollutants into the environment which find way into the food
chain, leading to biomagnifications.
4. Mining activities in the ocean: Mining activities in the deep sea is to extract minerals and
metal ores like zinc, cobalt, silver, aluminum and gold destroy the oceans and the coastal
regions as the mining processes generate scores of sulfide and selenium deposits in the
waters. The toxicity levels build up and are absorbed by ocean creatures which are then
consumed by organisms in the higher trophic levels of the food chain.
Effects of Biomagnification
1. Impact on human health: Humans become more susceptible to cancers, liver and kidney
failure, respiratory disorders, birth defects in pregnant women, brain damage, and heart
diseases are a result of mercury, cadmium, lead, cobalt, chromium and other chemical
poisoning. For instance, diseases like hepatitis and cancer have been attributed to consuming
seafood that has been poisoned by mercury and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
2. Effects on reproduction and development of marine creatures: The various toxic
chemicals and elements accumulate in the vital organs of the various aquatic creatures
affecting their reproduction and development. For instance, seabird eggs are laid with thinner
shells than normal, and can result in the birds crushing their eggs instead of incubating them.
Selenium and heavy metals such as mercury also affect the reproduction of aquatic creatures
such as fish as it destroys their reproductive organs. Besides, PCB’S (polychlorinated
biphenyls) also biomagnifies and impairs reproduction and is considerable high in
aquatic systems.
3. Destruction of the coral reefs: The coral reefs are destroyed by cyanide which is used in
leaching gold and in fishing. The reefs provide for spawning, feeding, and dwelling grounds
for numerous sea creatures. When destroyed, the survival of aquatic creatures is highly
compromised.
4. Disruption of the food chain: Many sea creatures depend on the natural food chain for
survival. When chemicals and other toxins are carried into the soils, rivers, lakes or oceans
and taken up by various organisms, it disrupts the interconnected relationships within the
food chain. It happens when small animals ingest or plants absorb the toxic elements after
which they are eaten by bigger animals, consequently, affecting the entire natural food chain.
The creatures or plants intoxicated with substances such as mercury, copper, chromium,
selenium and cobalt may also be consumed by humans and top animals in the food chain
leading to susceptibility to diseases, reproductive disorders, and even deaths.
Process of Biomagnification
Biomagnification process occurs when certain toxic chemicals and pollutants such as
heavy metals, pesticides or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) compounds go up the food
chain by working their way through the environment and into the soil or the water systems
after which they are eaten by aquatic animals or plants, which in turn are consumed by
animals, humans, and large birds. Eventually, these substances increase in concentration in
the organisms as they move up the food chain because they are slowly excreted or
metabolized/broken down.
Here is an explanation showing the process of biomagnification:
1. Release of toxic chemicals and pollutants into the environment: The process begins
with the release of toxic chemicals and pollutants into the environment and eventually works
their way into soils, rivers or lakes, and the seas. The concentration of these toxic chemicals
and pollutants seem to be very low when released in different environments. They are very
minute even in terms of weight.
2. Phytoplankton: Phytoplankton refers to small plants that float in the seas that normally
absorb toxins. Once absorbed, the toxins stay in their tissues without being excreted or
broken down. With time, the toxins accumulate to high concentrations up to 200 parts a
trillion which represents a toxin accumulation increase by about four fold.
3. Zooplankton: Zooplankton refers to small marine animals that float in the seas. They
consume the phytoplankton and thus take in the toxin. The toxins stay locked in the
organism’s tissue without being excreted or broken down. Over time, the toxin concentration
increases up to two parts per billion which represents about a ten-fold increase over the
previous concentration.
4. Small fish consume the zooplankton: Whenever the small fish feed on the zooplanktons,
they consequently take up the toxins which get absorbed in their fatty tissues. As a result,
accumulation occurs and the concentrations build up to about 20 parts per billion which is
another ten-fold increase.
5. Large fish graze on the smaller fish: Again, when the large fish graze on the smaller fish
for food, they consume the toxins that accumulate in their fatty tissues. The concentrations
become higher up to ranges of 80 to 100 parts per billion. This is about four to five fold
increase in the toxic levels.
6. The top food chain organisms consume the fish: The organisms at the top of the food
chain including the marine mammals such as dolphin, sea birds, and humans gradually build
up the toxins in their tissues such as their liver when they consume the large fish. The levels
of concentrations here increase to the highest ranges of 10,000 to 15,000 parts per billion.
The results impact the animal’s fertility and make them vulnerable to diseases as they
interfere with the normal functioning of vital organs.