Another area is the Great Lakes region. Since fat is the principal storage tissue, the conditions are perfect for bioaccumulation. This movement and accumulation of a chemical in a food web can have harmful effects on both the environment and humans. Biomagnification is a characteristic of all organochlorides. These factors should be a consideration of seafood eaters, especially around the Great Lakes region.
Aquatic animals are such exceptions.
Currently, scientists are not able to tell how this would affect humans. This is due to their diet consisting mostly of marine mammals. These mammals, being higher up on the food chain, accumulate high levels of toxaphene in their fat. The general U.S. population has a much lower risk, only being exposed to lower levels through contaminated foodstuffs. Although the risk of death is small, three cases of fatal toxaphene poisonings have been reported.