Worldwide Occurrence of Organotins from Antifouling Paints and Effects in the Aquatic Environment - Antifouling Paint Biocides - page 71

Worldwide Occurrence
of Organotins from Antifouling Paints
and Effects in the Aquatic Environment

Karl Fent 1,2
1 Institute of Environmental Technology, University of Applied Sciences Basel,
St. Jakobs-Strasse 84, CH-4132 Muttenz, Switzerland
[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]
2 Department of Environmental Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH),
8092 Zürich, Switzerland
[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

1 I tr cti n ................................... 72

2 Bioavailability .................................. 74

3 Environmental Distribution .......................... 76

3.1 DegradationinWaterandPersistenceinSediments ............. 77

4 Contamination of Aquatic Environments ................... 78

4.1 SeawaterandSediments ............................ 79

4.2 Freshwater .................................... 82

4.3 Biota ....................................... 83

4.4 Bioaccumulation................................. 88

5 Ecotoxicological Effects ............................. 88

5.1 ModesofAction................................. 89

5.2 EffectsonAquaticLife ............................. 90

5.3 ImposexandMasculinization ......................... 92

6 cl si s ................................... 94

References ....................................... 94

Abstract Organotins belong to the most toxic pollutants for aquatic life known so far.
Widespread contamination of harbors and areas with high shipping activities occurs
globally due to the ongoing use of tributyltin (TBT) in antifouling paints on large vessels.
In the last decade, organotin pollution has spread to developing countries. Contamination
decreased only slowly several years after regulation of antifouling paints in small vessels
and remains widespread in sediments and marine biota. TBT degradation in sediment is
very slow under anaerobic conditions and remobilization occurs via mixing and dredg-
ing. Ecotoxicological effects occur globally in marine gastropods, which are affected by
masculinization (imposex) at ng L -1 levels leading to population declines. Present TBT
levels in harbors and adjacent areas are still in the range of effect levels. Recently, also an-
drogenic activity of TBT in fish was reported. A large variety of organisms, in particular
early life stages, are susceptible to low TBT concentrations of a few 100 ng L -1 .Bioac-
cumulation leads to significant residues in aquatic biota including marine mammals.