Bioakkumulierend

Bioakkumulierend is a term used in environmental science and toxicology to describe the process by which certain substances accumulate in living organisms over time. This accumulation occurs when the rate of uptake of a substance by an organism exceeds the rate at which it can metabolize or excrete it. As a result, the concentration of the substance within the organism's tissues can become significantly higher than in its surrounding environment.

Substances that are bioakkumulierend are often persistent, meaning they break down very slowly in the environment. They can also be lipophilic, meaning they dissolve easily in fats and oils, which are abundant in the tissues of many organisms. This combination of persistence and lipophilicity facilitates their buildup within the food chain.

The process of bioakkumulation can lead to biomagnification, where the concentration of a bioakkumulierend substance increases at successively higher trophic levels in an ecosystem. For example, a substance might be present in low concentrations in plankton, but predatory fish that consume large amounts of plankton will accumulate higher concentrations. Top predators, in turn, will accumulate even higher concentrations by consuming these fish.

Examples of bioakkumulierend substances include certain heavy metals like mercury and lead, as well as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PCBs and DDT. The accumulation of these substances in organisms can have detrimental effects on their health, reproduction, and survival, and can pose risks to humans who consume contaminated food. Environmental regulations often aim to limit the release of bioakkumulierend substances to prevent widespread ecological and health impacts.