Another factor affecting bioaccumulation is whether an organism can break down and/or excrete a chemical. The biological breakdown of chemicals is termed metabolism. This ability varies among individual organisms and species and also depends on characteristics of the chemical itself.

Chemicals that dissolve readily in fat but not in water tend to be more slowly eliminated by the body and thus have a greater potential to accumulate. Many metabolic reactions change a chemical into more water soluble forms called metabolites, that are readily excreted. factors affecting metabolism often determine whether a chemical achieves its bioaccumulation potential in a given organism.

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