Bioakkumulautuvat

Bioakkumulautuvat is a Finnish term that translates to "bioaccumulative" in English. It describes the process by which a substance, such as a chemical, accumulates in an organism over time. This accumulation occurs when the rate at which the organism absorbs the substance is greater than the rate at which it is metabolized or excreted.

Bioaccumulation can happen in individual organisms and can lead to higher concentrations of the substance in tissues and organs than are found in the surrounding environment. This is particularly concerning for substances that are persistent, meaning they break down very slowly in nature, and for those that are toxic.

When bioaccumulative substances move up the food chain, a process called biomagnification can occur. This means that the concentration of the substance increases at each successive trophic level. For example, a small organism might absorb a chemical from the water, a larger organism eats many of these smaller organisms, and thus ingests a higher concentration of the chemical. This can result in top predators having significantly higher levels of the substance in their bodies, potentially leading to adverse health effects.

Examples of bioaccumulative substances include certain heavy metals like mercury and lead, as well as some persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs and DDT. Understanding bioaccumulation is crucial for environmental risk assessment and for regulating the use of potentially harmful chemicals.