Editing Bioaccumulation (section)

== Examples ==

=== Terrestrial examples ===
An example of poisoning in the workplace can be seen from the phrase "[[mad as a hatter]]" (18th and 19th century England). [[Mercury (element)|Mercury]] was used in stiffening the felt that was used to make hats. This forms organic species such as [[methylmercury]], which is lipid-[[soluble]] (fat-soluble), and tends to accumulate in the brain, resulting in [[mercury poisoning]]. Other lipid-soluble poisons include [[tetraethyllead]] compounds (the [[lead]] in leaded [[petrol]]), and [[DDT]]. These compounds are stored in the body fat, and when the [[adipose tissue|fatty tissues]] are used for energy, the compounds are released and cause acute poisoning.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

[[Strontium-90]], part of the [[Nuclear fallout|fallout]] from [[atomic bomb]]s, is chemically similar enough to calcium that it is taken up in [[osteogenesis|forming bones]], where its radiation can cause damage for a long time.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Martell |first=E. A. |date=May 1959 |title=Atmospheric Aspects of Strontium-90 Fallout: Fallout evidence indicates short stratospheric holdup time for middle-latitude atomic tests |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.129.3357.1197 |journal=Science |language=en |volume=129 |issue=3357 |pages=1197–1206 |doi=10.1126/science.129.3357.1197 |pmid=13658944 |issn=0036-8075|url-access=subscription }}</ref>{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

Some animal species use bioaccumulation as a mode of defense: by consuming toxic plants or animal prey, an animal may accumulate the toxin, which then presents a deterrent to a potential predator. One example is the [[Manduca sexta|tobacco hornworm]], which concentrates [[nicotine]] to a toxic level in its body as it consumes [[tobacco]] plants. Poisoning of small consumers can be passed along the food chain to affect the consumers later in the chain.

Other compounds that are not normally considered toxic can be accumulated to toxic levels in organisms. The classic example is [[vitamin A]], which becomes concentrated in [[liver]]s of [[carnivore]]s, e.g. [[polar bear]]s: as a pure carnivore that feeds on other carnivores (seals), they accumulate extremely large amounts of vitamin A in their livers. It was known by the native peoples of the Arctic that the livers of carnivores should not be eaten, but Arctic explorers have suffered [[hypervitaminosis A]] from eating the livers of bears; and there has been at least one example of similar poisoning of [[Xavier Mertz|Antarctic explorers]] eating [[husky]] dog livers.  One notable example of this is the expedition of [[Douglas Mawson|Sir Douglas Mawson]], whose exploration companion died from eating the liver of one of their dogs.

=== Aquatic examples ===
[[Coastal fish]] (such as the [[smooth toadfish]]) and [[seabird]]s (such as the [[Atlantic puffin]]) are often monitored for [[heavy metal (chemistry)|heavy metal]] bioaccumulation. [[Methylmercury]] gets into [[Fresh water|freshwater]] systems through industrial emissions and rain. As its concentration increases up the food web, it can reach dangerous levels for both fish and the humans who rely on fish as a food source.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-09-23|title=Mercury: What it does to humans and what humans need to do about it|url=https://www.iisd.org/ela/blog/commentary/mercury-humans-humans-need/|access-date=2020-07-06|website=IISD Experimental Lakes Area}}</ref>

Fish are typically assessed for bioaccumulation when they have been exposed to chemicals that are in their aqueous phases.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Alan. |first=Hoke, Robert |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/942770368 |title=Review of laboratory-based terrestrial bioaccumulation assessment approaches for organic chemicals : current status and future possibilities |oclc=942770368}}</ref> Commonly tested fish species include the [[Common Carp|common carp]], [[rainbow trout]], and [[bluegill sunfish]].<ref name=":3" /> Generally, fish are exposed to [[bioconcentration]] and bioaccumulation of organic chemicals in the environment through lipid layer uptake of water-borne chemicals.<ref name=":3" /> In other cases, the fish are exposed through ingestion/digestion of substances or organisms in the aquatic environment which contain the harmful chemicals.<ref name=":3" />

Naturally produced toxins can also bioaccumulate. The marine [[algal bloom]]s known as "[[red tide]]s" can result in local filter-feeding organisms such as [[mussel]]s and [[oyster]]s becoming toxic; coral reef fish can be responsible for the poisoning known as [[ciguatera]] when they accumulate a toxin called [[ciguatoxin]] from reef algae.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Estevez |first1=Pablo |last2=Sibat |first2=Manoella |last3=Leão-Martins |first3=José Manuel |last4=Reis Costa |first4=Pedro |last5=Gago-Martínez |first5=Ana |last6=Hess |first6=Philipp |date=2020-04-21 |title=Liquid Chromatography Coupled to High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry for the Confirmation of Caribbean Ciguatoxin-1 as the Main Toxin Responsible for Ciguatera Poisoning Caused by Fish from European Atlantic Coasts |journal=Toxins |language=en |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=267 |doi=10.3390/toxins12040267 |doi-access=free |pmid=32326183 |pmc=7232264 |issn=2072-6651}}</ref> In some eutrophic aquatic systems, [[biodilution]] can occur. This is a decrease in a contaminant with an increase in trophic level, due to higher concentrations of algae and bacteria diluting the concentration of the pollutant.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Deines |first1=Peter |last2=Bodelier |first2=Paul L. E. |last3=Eller |first3=Gundula |date=May 2007 |title=Methane-derived carbon flows through methane-oxidizing bacteria to higher trophic levels in aquatic systems |url=https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2006.01235.x |journal=Environmental Microbiology |language=en |volume=9 |issue=5 |pages=1126–1134 |doi=10.1111/j.1462-2920.2006.01235.x |pmid=17472629 |bibcode=2007EnvMi...9.1126D |issn=1462-2912|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lin |first1=Han-Yang |last2=Costello |first2=Mark John |date=2023-09-07 |title=Body size and trophic level increase with latitude, and decrease in the deep-sea and Antarctica, for marine fish species |journal=PeerJ |language=en |volume=11 |pages=e15880 |doi=10.7717/peerj.15880 |doi-access=free |issn=2167-8359 |pmc=10493087 |pmid=37701825}}</ref>

Wetland [[Ocean acidification|acidification]] can raise the chemical or metal concentrations, which leads to an increased [[bioavailability]] in marine plants and freshwater biota.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last1=Albers|first1=Peter H.|last2=Camardese|first2=Michael B.|date=1993|title=Effects of acidification on metal accumulation by aquatic plants and invertebrates. 1. Constructed wetlands|url=https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/etc.5620120602|journal=[[Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry]]|language=en|volume=12|issue=6|pages=959–967|doi=10.1002/etc.5620120602|bibcode=1993EnvTC..12..959A |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Plants situated there which includes both rooted and submerged plants can be influenced by the bioavailability of metals.<ref name=":2" />