As with many other adverse health effects from environmental pollution, the prevention of endocrine disruption is primarily a matter concerning the elimination and the reduction of public exposure to a causative pollutant. Given that exposure of this type is largely an involuntary act, the matter simply reduces to an issue regarding the pollutant’s availability in the environment. As it shall become transparent later on in this chapter (part), chemical bioaccumulation is a highly undesirable process through which the availability of certain environmental endocrine disruptors (EEDs) can increase substantially.

The objectives of this chapter (part), Part II of this lecture, are for students: (1) to understand the terms and definitions used, especially those relevant to bioaccumulation; (2) to appreciate the factors and activities that can affect the accumulation of chemicals by organisms in an ecosystem; (3) to be familiar with the regulatory and scientific criteria used for qualifying a pollutant’s tendency to bioaccumulate; and (4) to undertake a brief review of the methods and models available for the quantitative assessment of chemical bioaccumulation.

The concept of bioaccumulation is important to endocrine disruption in that, to a great extent, public exposure to EEDs is preventable or can be intervened through appropriate regulatory actions. It is worth repeating here that for any given activity, the implementation of an effective prevention or intervention program must be based on a fair comprehension of that activity’s process. Today, chemical bioaccumulation has become a critical consideration in the regulation of environmental pollutants, as only those tending to bioaccumulate are given high regulatory priority for their reduction and elimination.