Hepatic butyltin concentrations in beluga whales?(Delphinapterus leucas) from the St Lawrence Estuary and northern Quebec, Canada

Abstract

Butyltin (tributyltin TBT; dibutyltin DBT and monobutyltin MBT) speciation was measured in the liver of beluga whales from the St Lawrence Estuary and Hudson Strait (northern Quebec). Using GC–MS, liver samples were analysed from 21 beluga whales found dead, stranded along the shores of the St Lawrence during the period 1995–1998. In all cases, including a neonate specimen, the liver was contaminated with butyltin compounds with concentrations in the range 0.04–2.1 mg Sn kg−1 on a dry weight basis. Liver samples of five beluga whales from Hudson Strait obtained in the summer of 1998 were also analysed. For these animals, hepatic butyltin concentrations were consistently below the detection limit (<0.5 ng Sn g−1 for MBT and <0.2 ng Sn g−1 for DBT and TBT). Compared with published data on the contamination by TBT of the marine mammals of the St Lawrence in 1988, these contemporary results clearly indicate that the level of contamination of the beluga whales in this coastal marine ecosystem has not decreased ten years after regulating the use of TBT‐based antifoulants on small craft. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Interaction of dimethyltin(IV) and trimethyltin(IV) with dehydroacetic acid

“…Organotin(IV) compounds are extremely toxic (particularly the trialkyl derivatives) to animals and humans (St-Louis et al, 2000). The lower trialkyls show the highest toxicity (Pellerito et al, 2002;Nhan et al, 2005), they are powerful neurotoxic agents and may cause paralysis and death.…”

Total tin (TSn) biomagnification: Evaluating organotin trophic flow and dispersion using hepatic TSn concentrations and stable isotope (C, N) data of nektonic organisms from Brazil

“…These results corroborate those from our previous study on total tin concentrations (Dorneles et al, 2008a), as well as data from investigations comprising butyltin levels in cetaceans, since either no significant gender-related differences (Ciesielski et al, 2004;Kannan and Falandysz, 1997;Kim et al, 1996b;Madhusree et al, 1997;Strand and Jacobsen, 2005;Takahashi et al, 2000) or slightly higher concentrations in males than in females (Focardi et al, 2000) have been found. Although the mother-to-calf transfer of OTs occurs (Dorneles et al, 2008a;Focardi et al, 2000;Kannan and Falandysz, 1997;St-Louis et al, 2000;Tanabe et al, 1998;Yang et al, 2007;Yang and Miyazaki, 2006), it does not seem to be enough for generating significant lower concentrations in females than in males, as it is a common finding for organohalogen compounds in cetaceans (Das et al, 2017;Dorneles et al, 2015).…”

Organotins in marine mammals and seabirds from Norwegian territory

“…Investigations in urban areas indicate that restrictions on the use of TBT on small boats have resulted in a reduction in water concentration of TBT and increases in species diversity in benthic communities (Waldock et al 28 ). However, an investigation on beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the St. Lawrence Estuary and northern Quebec did not indicate that levels of organotin contamination have been reduced in marine mammals after the same TBT restriction in Canadian territories (St-Louis et al 29 ).…”

“…Studies from Canada indicate that beluga whales from areas like the St Lawrence Estuary, with heavy industrial activities and with major shipping routes, contain high concentrations of butyltin. Animals from remote Arctic areas like the Hudson Strait, with no industrial activities and little maritime traffic are virtually not exposed at all to organotins, but may contain organochlorines, probably introduced through atmospheric inputs (St-Louis et al 29 ). Our studies indicate low organotin exposure in Norwegian Northern areas such as Spitsbergen (ringed seal) and Bear Island (glaucous gull), and somewhat higher exposure along the Norwegian mainland coast (harbour porpoise, common seal).…”