ABSTRACT
Bioconcentration is the process by which an organism develops an internal concentration of a chemical that is higher than that of its environment. Bioconcentration is represented by published bioconcentration factors (BCFs), or the ratio of chemical concentration in the organism to that in surrounding water. Bioconcentration provides a path for increasing exposure to a chemical through consumption of seafood. Bioconcentration is specific in that it refers to uptake and accumulation of a substance from water alone, whereas bioaccumulation refers to uptake from all sources combined. Bioconcentration results when the organism takes in and absorbs the chemical in its tissue at a rate faster than it is excreted or metabolized. As the organism is consumed by other organisms, the chemical can concentrate further up the food chain. For example, although mercury is only present in small amounts in seawater, it is absorbed by algae, generally as methyl mercury.
