What term describes toxins building up inside an organism over time?

• A. Biomagnification
• B. Bioaccumulation
• C. Deposition
• D. Dilution

Answer: (B)

Bioaccumulation is the tendency of toxins to build up inside an individual organism over time because the organism continually absorbs contaminants from water, air, and food faster than it can eliminate them. Over long exposure, the internal concentration rises, and some substances can be stored in tissues like fat, making the organism toxic even if the environment’s levels are low. This differs from biomagnification, which describes increasing toxin levels as you move up the food chain from prey to predator. Deposition refers to pollutants settling onto surfaces or sediments, while dilution means a pollutant’s concentration decreases as it mixes with more medium. Understanding bioaccumulation explains why long-lived organisms can accumulate high body burdens from ongoing exposure.