ABSTRACT
There is an enormous range of organic compounds from a wide variety of sources which have potential for distribution in the environment. Within this range it is helpful to identify the characteristics which distinguish the compounds exhibiting bioaccumulation from those which do not. Bioaccumulation of organic compounds increases with increasing lipophilicity, which is conveniently measured by the 1-octanol to water partition coefficient, KOW. The octanol-to-water partition coefficient is the concentration in octanol/concentration in water for the compound distributed between the phases at equilibrium. The lipophilicity of nonpolar compounds can be substantially reduced by the introduction of a polar or ionizable group, such as an acid, phosphate or sulfonate group, into the molecule. Highly fat soluble, lipophilic compounds are the organic compounds most likely to bioaccumulate in biota. J. J. Lech and J. R. Bond have reviewed the mechanisms by which lipophilic compounds can be biologically degraded.
