ARCHIVE: e-Digest Statistics about: Coastal and marine waters

Definitions

Anthropogenic
produced by human activities.
Biomass
the living weight of all organisms in an area or population.
Heavy metals
metals with a high atomic weight such as mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium and zinc. Heavy metals have widespread industrial use. They are poisonous and tend to persist in living organisms once consumed and can accumulate in selective organs such as the brain liver and kidneys.
PCBs
polychlorinated biphenyls. Widely used compounds containing chlorine. PCBs can accumulate in food chains and are thought likely to produce harmful side-effects, particularly during the reproductive cycle of plants and animals. Many PCBs are non-biodegradable.
Further Information:

Your questions and comments about information presented on this page are welcome. Contact information and Email . Copyright of data and/or information presented or attached in this document may not reside solely with this Department. Please see guidance on Copyright.

Page last modified: 16 September 2003
Page published: 10 September 2003