DDT

Estimating Bioaccumulation: DDT in a Lake (Note: this is a hypothetical example.) A medium sized lake can serve as a major food source for a subsistence community. Suppose that a community of about 100 people gets much of its protein from fishing on such a lake. Every day, each person eats one or two fish, which weigh on average about 150 grams. The fish feed primarily on shrimp, as well as insects and other small animals. You have learned that an alga that is one of the primary food sources for shrimp in the lake is contaminated with DDT, a persistent organic pesticide that farmers upstream have begun using to control ants in food crops. You want to know how much of this DDT might eventually end up in members of the community.