# POPs: Persistent Organic Pollutants --- **Persistent organic pollutants**, or **POPs** are organic that, as the name suggests, are resistant to degredation and hang around for a long time in the environment and/or food web. If they reach humans this can cause [[food poisoning]]. ## Bioaccumulation & Biomagnification **Bioaccumulation** is when a substace—like a POP—builds up in the body of an organism. **Biomagnification** is when the pollutant moves up the food web and is stored in ever greater concentrations. ![[biomagnification.png]] ___