Protection of the Food Chain — Humans and Wildlife

For humans, the key issues relate to the demonstration that significant accumulation does not occur in a food organism. Exposure from the food organism is dependent on factors such as how much is eaten and how frequently, other sources of exposure, and the impact of preparation and cooking (e.g., the USEPA produces guidance relating to whole fish, fish fillet, cooked and uncooked fish USEPA 2000). Guidelines 

Environmental and Human Health Standards for Water and Soil 

The problem of chemical intake via the aquatic food chain is gradually being eliminated by regulatory action to limit or withdraw chemicals that bioconcentrate or are biomagnified in the environment. One alert for this is a log Kow of 3.0 or greater, and this is followed by specific studies on bioconcentration that take into account metabolism and depuration. For example, PAHs could theoretically bioconcentrate in vertebrate tissues but are rapidly metabolized and depurated, so bioconcentration does not occur in practice. 

---