Organotin compounds in the marine and lagoon environments
Organotin compounds (OTC), particularly tributyltin, have been widely used since the mid-60s as biocides in antifouling paints, being considered as one of the most toxic xenobiotics ever produced and introduced into the environment. Because of their widespread use in numerous applications (industrial, agricultural, etc.) and their specific chemical and physical characteristics, these pollutants were detected in all aquatic ecosystems, with highest concentrations in the marine coastal and lagoon environments.
OTC are extremely toxic to a wide range of organisms, from bacteria to mammals, including humans; one of the most remarkable effects is “imposex”- the superimposition of male characters onto females of gonochorist gastropods.
This booklet is the result of 10-years activity on the study of OTC by the Scientific Technical Structure (STS) ISPRA of Chioggia. It provides information on the origin, chemistry, distribution, the effects of OTC, legislative regulations and the limits for these compounds on both national and international levels. More technical contents concern the sampling, preparation and storage of samples, as well as the methods of analysis in different environmental matrices such as water, sediment and biota. Evaluation methods of OTC effects on mollusks are also detailed. Finally, two technical sheets are included: the first shows the analytical method for the analysis of the OTC used in the laboratories of the STS ISPRA of Chioggia; the second one shows in detail the assessment method for the determination of imposex in gastropod mollusks.
Publication available only on-line