Editing Bioaccumulation (section)

=== 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.