Organotins in Freshwater Harbors and Rivers: Temporal Distribution, Annual Trends and Fate

Abstract

The occurrence of butyltin and phenyltin compounds in water, mussels, and sediment of freshwater boat harbors of Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, and six Swiss river systems was determined between 1991 and 1993 following the sales ban of organotin-containing antifouling paints. In harbor waters, average levels of tributyltin (TBT) were between 40 and 50 ng/L in 1993, which was one order of magnitude lower than in 1988. Residues of up to 9.2 pg/g TBT and 0.7 pg/g triphenyltin (TPT) occurred in zebra mussels (Dreissenapolymorpha) and were related to the water concentrations. In a sediment core, high levels of TBT and TPT occurred in the upper 7 cm and 5.5 cm, respectively, with significant decreases below. Estimated sedimentation rates and the fact that transformation products did not increase with depth indicate that TBT and TPT are persistent in these sediments. In all rivers, di-and/or monobutyltin of up to 46 ng/L occurred consistently, and occasionally TBT and TPT of up to 26 and 1 1 ng/L, respectively. This study indicates that even though regulations were effective in reducing TBT and TPT levels in boat harbor water, contamination of surface fresh waters including rivers by organotin compounds is still widespread and has ecotoxicological consequences. Moreover, harbor sediments represent long-term reservoirs of these compounds.

Very low levels of waterborne butyltins modulate hemocyte function in the blue mussel Mytilus edulis

“…Despite the partial ban on use of TBT in marine paints imposed by most industrialized countries in the last 2 decades, levels of organotins in coastal waters reported in the literature are routinely higher than the LOEL reported in this study (Dowson et al 1992, Fent & Hunn 1995, Larsen et al 1997, Michel & Averty 1999. The energetic costs of this apparent stimulation of immune capability may be high, with possible detrimental implications for long-term exposure (Pipe et al 1999).…”

Endocrine disruptors in the environment (IUPAC Technical Report)

“…After the ban of organic tin compounds, the concentrations decreased from 1991 to 1993 to about 40-50 ng/l, and to 9.2 ppm of TBT and 0.7 ppm of TPT in the surface of sediments. The concentrations of metabolites did not increase with increasing depth, indicating high persistence of organotin compounds [250]. Analysis of TBT in core sediments, for which an approximate chronology is known, indicated a half-life for the first-order degradation of TBT of about 8.7 years [251].…”

Hemocyte functions and bacterial clearance affected in vivo by TBT and DBT in the blue mussel Mytilus edulis

“…Despite a partial ban imposed on boats < 25 m in most industrialized countries during the 1980s, hotspots still remain in areas of intense shipping activity (Waite et al 1991). TBT concentrations up to 133 ng Sn l -1 were reported for Danish coastal waters (Kure & Depledge 1994), between 14 and 28 ng Sn l -1 in Alexandria Harbor (Abd-Allah 1995) and up to 105 ng Sn l -1 in wastewater from Zurich, Switzerland (Fent & Hunn 1995). Some French coastal locations still showed TBT levels of > 36 ng Sn l -1 in 1997 (Michel & Averty 1999).…”