bioconcentratev.
/ˌbʌɪə(ʊ)ˈkɒns(ɛ)ntreɪt/, U.S. /ˌbaɪoʊˈkɑnsənˌtreɪt/ Environmental Science.
1. intransitive. Of a (typically toxic) chemical: to bioaccumulate, thereby increasing in concentration; to become progressively concentrated in organisms further up the food chain, or in a specific environment, etc. Cf. bioaccumulate v. 2, biomagnify v. 1.
ΚΠ
1971 BioScience 21 889/1 The herbicides used most widely are degraded and do not bioconcentrate.
1985 Water Res. 19 923/1 Although known to be a required micronutrient in most organisms, including fish, selenium has also been shown to bioconcentrate readily.
2003 C. F. Moore Silent Scourge iii. 105 Because of their chemical stability and lipophilic properties, once PCBs are released into the environment they bioconcentrate up the food chain.
2. transitive. Of an organism: to accumulate (a chemical), so that the concentration increases in its tissues. Cf. bioaccumulate v. 1, biomagnify v. 2. Also in passive.
ΚΠ
1975 Microbial Ecol. 2 43 Thirteen bacterial species were observed to sorb and concentrate (bioconcentrate) α-chlordane, β-chlordane, dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, and lindane from aqueous systems.
1983 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 1 Apr. 1 Fish are a potential source of dioxin and other toxic wastes in water because they ‘bioconcentrate’ them.
1988 G. Wolf & J. Arcos Chem. Induction of Cancer III. 483 The organomercurials formed are bioconcentrated in the food chain.
2002 New Scientist 12 Jan. 37/1 The beauty of this idea is that it takes advantage of the fish's tendency to accumulate and ‘bioconcentrate’ certain toxic substances—the same feature that makes fish caught in polluted waters so dangerous to eat.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
<
v.1971