Other important Concepts
-Bioavailability
Physical Factor
Chemicals such as Dioxin, PCB binds to soil and often trapped in a particle’s interior.
Largely inaccessible and are not bioavailable
-Chemical Factor
Toxins that are fat or water insoluble are passed into feces and are not absorbed, e.g., elemental mercury
However, mercury compounds can be highly absorbent
Barium metal is toxic but barium sulfate is not bioavailablehence used in X-ray diagnsus
-Bioaccumulation:
when a pollutant concentrates in the body at a level higher than the environment:
PCB, dioxin in fat; Lead in bones; metals in liver and kidney