Bioconcentration

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-003151",
  "term": "Bioconcentration",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. A process by which there is a net accumulation of a chemical directly from an exposure medium into an organism.\n\n2. The accumulation of a chemical in tissues of an organism (such as a fish) to levels greater than in the surrounding medium in which the organism lives.\n\n3. The accumulation of a chemical in tissues of an organism (such as fish) to levels that are greater than the level in the medium (such as water) in which the organism resides.\n\n4. Bioaccumulation is the general term describing a process by which chemicals are taken up by a plant or animal either directly from exposure to a contaminated medium (soil, sediment, water) or by eating food containing the chemical. Related terms are bioconcentration in which chemicals are absorbed by an animal or plant to levels higher than the surrounding environment; and biomagnification, in which chemical levels in plants or animals increase from transfer through the food web (e.g., predators have greater concentrations of a particular chemical than their prey).\n\n5. The accumulation of a chemical in tissues of a fish or other organism to levels greater than in the surrounding medium.\n\n6. The net accumulation of a substance by an organism as a result of uptake directly from an environmental medium (e.g., net accumulation by an aquatic organism as a result of uptake directly from ambient water, through gill membranes or other external body surfaces).\n\n7. In which chemicals are absorbed by an animal or plant to levels higher than the surrounding environment.\n\n8. \"A process leading to a higher concentration of a substance in an organism than in environmental media to which it is exposed (after WHO, 1979).\" - International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, 1993\n\n9. Net accumulation of a substance by an aquatic organism as a result of uptake directly from the ambient water through gill membranes or other external body surfaces. [40 CFR 132.2]\n\n10. Accumulation of a chemical in tissues of an organism (such as a fish) to levels greater than in the surrounding medium in which the organism lives.\n\n11. The net accumulation of a substance by an organism as a result of uptake directly from an environmental medium (e.g., net accumulation by an aquatic organism as a result of uptake directly from ambient water, through gill membranes or other external body surfaces). [EPA 2004]\n\n12. The tendency of a chemical to accumulate in a living organism to levels in excess of the concentration in its surrounding environment. [AIHA 2000]\n\n13. Direct transfers of the chemical from the surrounding environmental medium into the plant or animal (e.g., a chemical that is transferred from soil into a plant through its roots); for animals, it does not account for uptake by ingestion; for a fish, bioconcentration of a substance in the water includes direct uptake from water through its gills.",
  "subject": "Science and research",
  "references": [
    "Waste and Cleanup Risk Assessment Glossary",
    "Aquatic Biodiversity Glossary",
    "Drinking Water Technical & Legal Terms",
    "Ecological Risk Assessment Glossary of Terms",
    "Terms of Environment",
    "EPA 2004",
    "USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program Definitions",
    "40 CFR Appendix B to Part 132",
    "Thesaurus of Terms Used in Microbial Risk Assessment",
    "ExpoBox Terminology; EPA ExpoBox Terminology"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/bioconcentration/"
}