Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 14.3
Effects of temperature on uptake of zinc into salmon gills (A) and influence
of calcium carbonate (mg liter
1
) on mortality of trout exposed to various concentrations of
zinc (B) [redrawn from Hodson (1975) and Lloyd (1960)].
Toxicants can be concentrated by biota. The first step in this process
is
bioconcentration,
or the ability of a compound to move into an organ-
ism from the water.
Bioaccumulation
refers to the bioconcentration plus
the accumulation of the compound from food.
Biomagnification
refers to
the entire increase in concentration as one moves up the food web. Bio-
magnification is a particular concern with lipid-soluble organic contami-
nants and some metals. In general, the less water-soluble the organic com-
pounds, the more they are concentrated by organisms (Fig. 14.4).
10
5
Mollusks
Fish
10
4
10
3
10
2
10
1
10
-3
10
-2
10
-1
10
0
10
1
10
2
Solubility (mg L
-1
)
FIGURE 14.4
Relationships between water solubility and bioconcentration factors of vari-
ous organic compounds in fish and mollusks (adapted from Ernst, 1980).
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