Bioaccumulation

The chemical munition compounds that leak from munition shells also pose a risk to marine organisms near dumping areas. TNT and its degradation products have been found in a wide range of aquatic organisms near munition dumpsites and shipwrecks, from algae and benthic infauna to mussels and fish. Biological concentration, accumulation, and magnification of munition compounds in marine biota have thus been shown in numerous cases. It is less well known how long munition compounds persist in biological tissues and how rapidly they may be excreted.