ABSTRACT
Toxicant bioaccumulation became a topic of public and scienti c concern early in the 1950s. Contributing to this awakening were the tragic consequences of metal bioaccumulation in food species so apparent after outbreaks of Minamata and Itai-itai disease. Accumulation of ssion products in food species and humans from nuclear weapons open-air testing became an issue of global concern. In the early 1960s, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring thrust the consequences of pesticide accumulation by wildlife species into the public’s awareness.
