The Coastal Resource Coordinator's Bioassessment Manual

HAZMAT 93-1–Bioaccumulation
uptake of Cu in mussels is influenced by the concentrations of zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and
lead (Pb) present (Phillips, 1977). Contaminants can inhibit the rate of biological processes
that can then reduce the uptake of contaminants. For example, generally the faster an
organism grows, the more rapidly it accumulates contaminants; so, if the growth rate is
slowed by the presence of contamination, the rate of bioaccumulation will also be decreased.
While this seems a formidable list of disadvantages, many can be minimized by the proper
selection of test organisms and methodologies.
Table 4-1. Advantages and disadvantages of bioaccumulation studies.
Advantages
Direct measure of bioavailability.
Integrates contamination levels over
time.
Concentrates chemicals from water
allowing easier and less expensive
analyses.
Potential for determining human health
risks.
Disadvantages
Relationship between body burdens
and bioeffects uncertain.
High natural variability between
individuals and between species.
No direct relationship between body
burdens and environmental levels for
some contaminants due to
bioregulation or metabolism.
Difficult to associate contamination in
mobile species to area of
environmental contamination.
Uptake of one contaminant may be
inhibited by the presence of other
contaminants.
Rates of biological processes maybe
reduced by contamination thus
reducing rates of bioaccumulation.
4-3 November 1992