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Question
Identify the property of DDT which is responsible for the accumulation of DDT in the tissues of animals.
Identify the property of DDT which is responsible for the accumulation of DDT in the tissues of animals.
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Solution
The correct option is C High lipid solubility
Biomagnification is the increasing build-up of toxic substances such as DDT within organisms at successive trophic levels of the food chain.
DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) is an insecticide (chemical agents used to kill insects) which can be sprayed on water bodies to check the growth of mosquitoes. DDT gets absorbed into the body of living organisms by eating products contaminated with DDT or by breathing.
If the water contains 0.003 ppb of DDT (ppb refers to one microgram of the substance per litre of water), then it can reach 0.04 ppm (ppm refers to one milligram of the substance per litre of water) in zooplanktons. From their body DDT is transferred to the next trophic levels and ultimately reaches 25 ppm in fish-eating birds which occupy the highest trophic level.
Figure: Biomagnification of DDT
The reason behind biomagnification of DDT is that being non-biodegradable it can neither be easily metabolised by the organisms nor can it be excreted out easily. Moreover, DDT is stored and accumulated in the fatty tissues of animals in a food chain. This is because DDT is highly soluble in fat, but is poorly soluble in water. Due to its 'fat-loving' nature it tends to be stored in the fatty tissues of organisms and continues to accumulate overtime. This leads to an increase in the concentration of DDT at successive trophic levels, i.e., biomagnification. Hence option c is correct and option a is incorrect.
DDT is slightly to moderately toxic to mammals, including humans, when ingested. Exposure to high doses causes symptoms like vomiting, shakiness, and seizures in humans. But this property of toxicity does not help in biomagnification. Hence option b is incorrect.
Biomagnification is the increasing build-up of toxic substances such as DDT within organisms at successive trophic levels of the food chain.
DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) is an insecticide (chemical agents used to kill insects) which can be sprayed on water bodies to check the growth of mosquitoes. DDT gets absorbed into the body of living organisms by eating products contaminated with DDT or by breathing.
If the water contains 0.003 ppb of DDT (ppb refers to one microgram of the substance per litre of water), then it can reach 0.04 ppm (ppm refers to one milligram of the substance per litre of water) in zooplanktons. From their body DDT is transferred to the next trophic levels and ultimately reaches 25 ppm in fish-eating birds which occupy the highest trophic level.
Figure: Biomagnification of DDTThe reason behind biomagnification of DDT is that being non-biodegradable it can neither be easily metabolised by the organisms nor can it be excreted out easily. Moreover, DDT is stored and accumulated in the fatty tissues of animals in a food chain. This is because DDT is highly soluble in fat, but is poorly soluble in water. Due to its 'fat-loving' nature it tends to be stored in the fatty tissues of organisms and continues to accumulate overtime. This leads to an increase in the concentration of DDT at successive trophic levels, i.e., biomagnification. Hence option c is correct and option a is incorrect.
DDT is slightly to moderately toxic to mammals, including humans, when ingested. Exposure to high doses causes symptoms like vomiting, shakiness, and seizures in humans. But this property of toxicity does not help in biomagnification. Hence option b is incorrect.
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