Heavy metals Flashcards
What are heavy metals and their contamination?
The term heavy metal refers to any metallic element that has a relatively high density and is toxic or poisonous at low concentrations.
Heavy metals, such as mercury and lead, can contaminate drinking water and have severe health effects.
What is bioaccumulation, biomagnification and bioconcentration?
Bioaccumulation
When an organism takes in a substance faster than the body can remove it, the amount of that substance increases in the body over time.
Biomagnification
Biomagnification is the increasing concentration of a chemical in organismsas you go up the food chain.
Bioconcentration
Bioconcentration is a particular type of bioaccumulation: it is the build-up in the body of a chemical taken in directly from its
environment, but not through its food, to a concentration higher thanthe surrounding water or air.
