bioaccumulate 
verb [no object]
(Of a substance) become concentrated inside the bodies of living things: mercury has bioaccumulated in the fish...
- Although persistence may or may not pose a problem, if a substance also bioaccumulates then there is special reason to be concerned about possible risks.
- Chemicals bioaccumulate as plants are consumed by animals, which are consumed by humans.
- Some of the more potent of these chemicals also bioaccumulate up the food chain and end up in toxic amounts in marine mammals.
Derivatives
bioaccumulation
- Use peaked in the United States in 1959 and then gradually declined as concerns were raised about bioaccumulation via the food chain and adverse impacts on fauna - notably fertility and egg shell thinning in birds.
- However, DDT released before that time is still present in the environment and in various organisms in the process of bioaccumulation.
- Biological processes are primarily biotransformation, biodegradation, and bioaccumulation.