As time goes by,
the number of vegans and vegetarians seems to be on the rise. More and more
people are refusing to eat meats and fish; and in positive correlation, the
number of people going organic seems to be on the rise as well. A chief concern
all of these people share in common is that of bioaccumulation and
biomagnification. Plants, animals, and fish alike have the possibility of undergoing
the process of bioaccumulation and/or biomagnification. Harmful chemicals are causing these issues; so in return, more and
more people are beginning to speak out against pesticides and pollution and
abstain from the products affected by them. A growing emphasis is being placed
on what toxins we put into our bodies, as more and more people draw attention
to bioaccumulation and biomagnification, which support the time old saying “You
are what you eat!”
Bioaccumulation occurs solely between the
environment and the living organism. It is when the organism’s intake of a
substance, such as a toxic chemical, surpasses the rate at which it can either
metabolize or excrete the toxic substance; therefore, causing an accumulation
of the substance in the tissue or fat of the living organism. Similarly,
biomagnification is the accumulation of toxins in a living organism; however,
this toxic accumulation progresses as the organism moves up in the various
levels of the food chain. For example, a predator, like a shark per say, at the
top of the food chain will have accumulated the most toxins because the fish it
consumed had consumed toxins, and the fish they had consumed had consumed
toxins, and so on and so forth. The cycle simply builds and builds; until those
at the top of the food chain have accumulated so many toxins that they become
in danger to the harmful effects the stored chemicals can have on their bodies!
Watch this VIDEO for clarification on Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification:
Qualities a Pollutant Must Possess In Order to
Biomagnify:
The four necessary qualities include a substance
that is: long-lived, soluble in fat, mobile, and biologically active (8). The
substance must first be long-lived because short-lived substances, in contrast,
break down; therefore, posing no danger. The substance must be mobile to
increase the likelihood of the species to take it in, and also biologically active
so that it has the potential to cause problems instead of being biologically
dormant. Last, it must be soluble in fat. If a substance is not fat-soluble, it
means that it is soluble in water and can be excreted out of the body through
the cells and/or bodily functions; therefore, causing no harm. If it is soluble
in fats; however, the substance cannot be released, so instead it will build up
in the fat/tissue of an animal or plant allowing bioaccumulation or biomagnification
to occur.
Common pollutants to biomagnify include: heavy
metals such as mercury, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP’s), Polychlorinated
Biphenyls (PCB’s), plastics, and radioisotopes.
PCBs
Not only can they accumulate in fish and animals,
for example, but they can also be spread in the air of the environment.
However, the consumption rather than airborn exposure of PCBs has posed much
greater risks. An EPA article on the Health
Effects of PCBs explained that PCBs could act as carcinogens, or cancer
causing agents, in consumers of such toxins. Additionally, PCBs have been
researched and found to affect the immune system, reproductive system,
neurological health and nervous system, and endocrine system.
More about how each system is affected by PCBs in
the article attached below:
Mercury
Mercury is transformed from its original elemental
state into its most toxic form, called methylmercury, by bacteria, such as that
living in the ocean. In return, mercury poisoning is most often caused from the
consumption or overconsumption of certain types of fish. This then puts the
consumer at risk of a number of serious health concerns. One example would be
that “60,000 children [are] born annually suffering from neurodevelopmental problems
due to in utero exposure to mercury” (2).
POPs
POPs, include the pollutants that can be airborne
or transported by water around the world, and in accordance to their name, can
persist for a long time. One common POP is DDT, which was used as an industrial
chemical after WWII during the industrial boom. When these pollutants spread
though they become a part of our food, which then becomes a part of us. This
accumulation of POPs, like the other substances, can cause neurological
defects, cancer, birth defects, immune defects, certain diseases, and even
damage certain organs, all of which can lead to death.
Current Solutions and Research
Throughout the world, emphasis is being placed on
humans minimizing their contribution to the pollution of the environment in
order that they may subsequently improve their own health. Current research
shows that countries continue to actively place bans on emissions discharged
from factories, and on pesticides used on farms, which run off into waterways
or are directly consumed by humans. David Chandler of ehow.com explains the
effects pollutants and pesticides are having on coastal areas like Florida,
saying “Florida's Department of Health, for example, has issued fish
consumption advisories for many freshwater and marine fish within the state,
including shark, largemouth bass, cobia, yellowfin tuna, snook and bluegill”
(5). Consuming these fish in excess amounts or even appropriate amounts, can
pose serious health concerns for the consumer because pollution and pesticides
have caused toxins to biomagnify in these fish.
So…is it really worth that steak, that filet of
tuna, or that pesticide doused apple?
Wrap Up
Tying this all back into nutrition, what do you
think about the effects bioaccumulation and/or biomagnification can have on
YOU? Would you consider becoming vegan, vegetarian, or even switching to only
organic produce? Because after all, non-organic produce is at risk of bioaccumulating
various toxins from constant bombardment of pesticides. Furthermore, when these
pesticides run off into water, they can cause bioaccumulation or
biomagnification, as toxins climb the marine trophic levels or food webs,
causing poisonous, toxic seafood to reach OUR plates. Not only so, but when
these chemicals mentioned above biomagnify on land when toxic pesticide plants
are induced by cows, which are then induced by us; or as subsequent leveled
species eat each other until we in the end eat them, a mess of toxic sewage
enters our mouths.
YOU TRULY ARE WHAT YOU EAT!
Will you join in the effort to become organic and
say NO to the use of pesticides that are becoming so overused and prevalent in
our nation and nations around the world?
I have not been organic in the past, nor vegetarian
or vegan; however, although I cannot give up meat, I am now more apt to
consider choosing organic produce and products to better avoid toxic products
that could be threatening to my health. For if you do decide to go organic,
vegan, or even vegetarian, you could be better protecting yourself from a
whirlwind of problems presented from an issue that starts off small but only
magnifies; the issue of biomagnification!
This is a helpful article to better describe
biomagnification:
Sources:
