Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
生化学的酸素要求量せいかがくてきさんそようきゅうりょうBiochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is an indicator of the amount of oxygen consumed when microorganisms break down organic matter in water. Specifically, it measures the amount of oxygen that living organisms need to decompose organic matter, and this is used to assess how polluted the water is. Water with a high BOD contains a large amount of organic matter, which indicates vigorous microbial activity. Conversely, water with a low BOD is suggested to be relatively clean. This indicator plays a very important role in environmental monitoring and water quality management.