Biological Amplification

What is it?
 Toxic pollutants enter the
ecosystem that are absorbed or
ingested by organisms. Some
substances accumulate in
organism’s tissue over time.
Bioaccumulation
 An increase in the concentration of a pollutant
in a biological organism compared to its
concentration in the environment
 It is how pollutants enter a food chain
Biomagnification
 Increase in the concentration of a pollutant as it
passes from one trophic level to the next

http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-iv/ecosystem/biological-magnification.php
Biomagnification
 Small amount in environment → Large
concentration at top of food chain

http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-iv/ecosystem/biological-magnification.php
Why should we care?
 Because the two processes
together mean that when we
release even small amounts
of pollutants into the
environment, eventually
they build-up in organisms
to toxic dosages

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/educat
ion/kits/estuaries/media/supp_estu
ar09a.html
Where do pollutants come from?
 Coal burning power plants
 Factories
 Farms, lawns, and gardens.
Characteristics of pollutants:
 In order for biomagnification to happen,
substance must be:
 Long lived

 Soluble in fat

 Mobile

 Biologically active
Characteristics of pollutants:
Putting it into perspective:
 Only some substances biomagnify

 Most substances are water soluble and are

excreted into the water
 Many breakdown quickly

 Many are not biologically active

Ex. Biomagnification

 Water
 Phytoplankton
 Zooplankton
 Small fish
 Large fish
 Top Predator:
 Human, osprey, eagle, otter – highest
amount of toxic chemical
http://www.dc.peachnet.edu/~ccarter/Millerlec-12/sld053.htm
Follow link to video
 http://happylibrarianblogs.blogspot.com/2008/
01/biomagnification-video.html

It can happen in terrestrial systems too!

Pollutants that undergo biomagnification

 Mercury
 Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
Mercury
 Source: Emissions from coal-burning power
plants, metal processing, medical and other
waste
 Refer to notes on deposition xx/xx
 Made bioavailable by bacteria
 Inorganic mercury → Organic form of
mercury that is biologically active
Mercury
 Elementary Mercury (Hg)
 Methylmercury (CH3Hg) – most toxic form
 Form ingested by consuming fish

 Concentrated in muscle tissue

 More in older fish than younger fish

 Note – changed from Hg to this form by

bacteria
Where in the US is it a problem?
 Low pH (acidic) lakes in Northeast and and
Northcentral US
 Everglades (FL)
 Certain Wetlands
 Coastal wetlands along San Francisco Bay,
Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coast

http://sofia.usgs.gov/sfrsf/ro
oms/mercury/food_chain/
Impacts of Wildlife
 Loons – diet of fish
 Decrease in chicks in areas of high mercury

 Large concentration of mercury in eggs

 Great Egrets – study in Everglades indicates

behavior of juveniles is effected
 Deformities in developing animals

http://www.usgs.gov/themes/factsheet/146-00/
Risk to People
 Exposed by eating contaminated fish
 Pregnant women and children most at risk
 60,000 children born annually suffering
from neurodevelopmental problems due to
in utero exposure to mercury

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11388452/Frozen_Sushi.jpg
Fish Advisories

 13 states have state wide advisories for fish

from rivers and lakes
 40 states have advisories on selected bodies of
water
 Parts of Eastern Coast and Gulf of Mexico
have advisories
Concerned about the fish you eat?
Recommendations per the FDA
 Avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish
= all are high in Mercury
 12 oz can be consumed a week of a variety of fish
and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
 Fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light
tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
 Note, albacore tuna has more mercury than canned
light tuna. You may eat up to 6 oz of it in a week.
Concerned about the fish you eat?
 Check out the Mercury calculator at
http://gotmercury.org/article.php?id=1034

 For information on Sustainable Seafood

Choices check out Monterey Bay Aquarium
and print out a pocket sized card
http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp
Origins of the term “Mad as a Hatter”
 Hg(NO3)2 Mercury is a compound that was
used to soften fur in the making of felt hats.
 The phrase “Mad as a Hatter”, and the Mad
Hatter of Alice in Wonderland -- both refer to
the toxic effect of mercury on the central
nervous system of the hat makers, producing
mental effects and "hatter's shakes".
http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/
Museum/Mad%20Hatter%20Tea
%20Party.jpg
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
 Also called organochlorines
 Synthetic organic chemicals that persist in the
environment and biomagnify through the food web
 Poses a risk to human health and the environment

Sources:
 Pesticides, some plastics, paints, industrial chemicals,
bleaching, burning garbage
 Examples: DDT, PCBs, dioxin
Ban on POPs
 1995 UN estimated 20,000+ substances with
properties of POPs
 Stockholm Convention 2004, banned 12 worst
 “The Dirty Dozen”

 U.S. signatory in 2001

 Congress has not ratified

 Signed by

http://www.nature.com/nrmicro/journal/v
4/n9/images/nrmicro1498-i3.jpg
Stockholm Convention Treaty
The Dirty Dozen
1. DDT - pesticide 7. Dieldrin - pesticide
2. PCBs - Industrial 8. Endrin - pesticide
3. Dioxin - waste 9. HCB – pest/ waste
4. Furans - waste 10. Heptachlor - pesticide
5. Aldrin - pesticide 11. Mirex - pesticide
6. Chlordane - pesticide 12. Toxaphane - pesticide
Exposure
 Environmental exposure – many will stay in
soil or water for decades
 Slow to breakdown

 Humans consume toxins via fish, meat and

dairy
 DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane)
 Insecticide used to control malaria and typhus
by killing mosquitoes and lice.
 Commonly used after WWII
 Inventor received Noble Prize
 Overused on crops as a pesticide

http://commons.
wikimedia.org/wik
i/Image:DDT_W
WII_soldier.jpg http://www.flahumforms.org/FloridaDream/images/Th
umbnails/1948-Spraying-DDT-in-war-ag.jpg
 Ex. DDT
 Concentration of
DDT increased 10
million times!

http://www.cfkeep.org/html/stitch.php?s=98965698293378&id=34347859802049
DDT problems
Eggshell thinning
 DDT interferes with metabolism of calcium
 Result - thin shells in predator birds such as
osprey, bald eagles, brown pelicans
 Birds unable to brood (aka sit on) their eggs
without breaking them

www.ctaudubon.org/action/osprey.htm animals.nationalgeographic.com
DDT problems (cont’d)
Feminization
 Acts as a hormone disrupter, mimics estrogen
 Has impacted sex ratio in some birds
 DDT - it’s a long term problem
 It has a half life of 15
year; it takes 15yrs for
its quantity to be ½ its
original
 DDT - it’s a long term problem
 It has a half life of 15 Amount
Year
year; it takes 15yrs for Remaining
its quantity to be ½ its 0 100 kg
original 15 50 kg
 Ex. If we start with 30 25 kg
100 kg, we will still 45 12.5 kg
have ~ 1 kg after 100 60 6.25 kg
yrs 75 3.13 kg
90 1.56 kg
105 0.78 kg
DDT current use
 Banned in US in 1972
 Still used overseas to prevent malaria
 Estimated it save millions of lives annually
in Africa
POPs are everywhere!

 Even Polar Bears have POPs

in their system
 Top predator

 All toxins in prey is

transferred to them, stored
in fat http://www.smh.com.au/ffxi
mage/2006/12/28/polar_bear
 Concentration increases 5 – _narrowweb__300x387,0.jpg

10x each trophic level

Health Impact of POPs
 Some cause cancer, damage nervous system
 Some act like hormones (estrogens) leads to:
 Developmental changes, birth defects

 Reproductive and Behavioral problems

 Toxins can be passed to young

Thought to ponder
 Even pollutants in small quantities can build
up to toxic/lethal doses
Solutions to Toxic Pollution
 Worst ones are banned or no longer used in
U.S.
 Still need to eliminate/reduce the processes
that create toxins (i.e. burning coal)
Question of the Day
Which group of pollutants is suspected to act like
hormones (estrogens)?
 Heavy metals

 Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

 Inorganic plant nutrients

 Organic oxygen-demanding wastes

 http://gotmercury.org/article.php?id=1034
 http://www.seaturtles.org/article.php?list=type
&type=75
 http://www.ec.gc.ca/Science/sandemay00/artic
le4_e.html