Bioconcentration factor
Encyclopedia
Bioconcentration factor (BCF) is the concentration of a particular chemical in a biological tissue
per concentration of that chemical in water surrounding that tissue. That is, a dimensionless number representing how much of a chemical is in a tissue relative to how much of that chemical exists in the environment.
This physical property characterizes the accumulation of chemicals, including pollutants, through chemical partitioning from the aqueous phase into an organic phase. This may occur as in gills of a fish, or cell walls of aqueous plants.
In the context of setting exposure criteria it is generally understood that the terms "BCF" and "steady-state BCF"' are synonymous. A steady-state condition occurs when the organism is exposed for a sufficient length of time that the ratio does not change substantially.
Tissues with BCF greater than 1,000 are considered high, and under 250 low, with those between classified as moderate.
BCF is correlated to the Partition coefficient
via a logarithmic equation of the form
where Y ranges from 0 and 1 depending on the compound.
Tissue (biology)
Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...
per concentration of that chemical in water surrounding that tissue. That is, a dimensionless number representing how much of a chemical is in a tissue relative to how much of that chemical exists in the environment.
This physical property characterizes the accumulation of chemicals, including pollutants, through chemical partitioning from the aqueous phase into an organic phase. This may occur as in gills of a fish, or cell walls of aqueous plants.
In the context of setting exposure criteria it is generally understood that the terms "BCF" and "steady-state BCF"' are synonymous. A steady-state condition occurs when the organism is exposed for a sufficient length of time that the ratio does not change substantially.
Tissues with BCF greater than 1,000 are considered high, and under 250 low, with those between classified as moderate.
See also
- BioaccumulationBioaccumulationBioaccumulation refers to the accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other organic chemicals in an organism. Bioaccumulation occurs when an organism absorbs a toxic substance at a rate greater than that at which the substance is lost...
- BiomagnificationBiomagnificationBiomagnification, also known as bioamplification or biological magnification, is the increase in concentration of a substance that occurs in a food chain as a consequence of:* Persistence...
BCF is correlated to the Partition coefficient
Partition coefficient
In chemistry and the pharmaceutical sciences, a partition- or distribution coefficient is the ratio of concentrations of a compound in the two phases of a mixture of two immiscible solvents at equilibrium. The terms "gas/liquid partition coefficient" and "air/water partition coefficient" are...
via a logarithmic equation of the form
where Y ranges from 0 and 1 depending on the compound.