Evaluation of environmental levels and biological impact of TBT in Malta (central Mediterranean)

Axiak, Victor; Vella, Alfred J.; Agius, Dorita Galea; Bonnici, P; Cassar, Glenn; Cassone, Roberto; Chircop, P.; Micallef, D.; Mintoff, Bernardette; Sammut, Michael

doi:10.1016/s0048-9697(00)00509-x

Cited by 46 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…In those circumstances, the sediments (mainly the anoxic ones) can act as reservoirs of OTs and, due to their high affinity to particulate matter, act also as a source of these compounds back to the water column following processes (physical and/or biological) of remobilization (Axiak et al 2000;Hallers-Tjabbes et al 2003). Since anoxic sediments are predominant in areas with limited circulation (i.e., bays or estuaries; Michaud and Pelletier 2006), the very same area where ship activities are more intense, the processes involved in degradation and remobilization of OTs must be better understood to further assess the extent and intensity of contamination.…”

Section: Ots Contamination In Abiotic Matricesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organotin contamination in South American coastal areas

Castro

Perina

Fillmann

2011

Environ Monit Assess

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Organotin compounds (OTs) were used in antifouling paints for more than four decades. However, due to their widespread intensive use and high toxicity, undesirable effects in non-target marine organisms have been detected since the early 1980s. Consequently, the International Maritime Organization banned new maritime applications of these products on January 1, 2003 and their presence on ship hulls from January 1, 2008. Although extensively studied in Europe, North America, Oceania, and Asia, environmental levels and effects of organotin contamination are still poorly known for South America. Thus, the current review aimed to present the actual status of this problem in South America by summarizing and comparing the available data in the literature. An overview of the OTs concentrations in sediment and biota and their effects, mainly imposex in marine gastropods, are presented. This work showed that in Atlantic coastal areas of South America there are "hot spots" of OTs contamination, similar to that observed in industrialized countries of Northern Hemisphere. On the other hand, the number of accomplished studies in the Pacific coast is extremely low. Despite the limitation on studies about OTs environmental levels and their related effects, the available data pointed out for a widespread TBT contamination along the South American coastal areas. Therefore, the establishment of baselines of organotin contamination in the Pacific coast and the implementation of temporal trend studies in the South American coastal areas is crucial to verify the effectiveness of local regulations and OTs global ban, and to map the most sensitive areas related to present and future antifouling impacts.

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Section: Ots Contamination In Abiotic Matricesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organotin contamination in South American coastal areas

Castro

Perina

Fillmann

2011

Environ Monit Assess

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“…As demonstrated for temperate areas, contaminated sediments may act as longterm sources of organotin compounds for the water column even after their use has been restricted (Langston & Pope, 1995;Watanabe et al, 1997; laboratory studies; Axiak et al, 2000; field studies in the water column). Dredging of such contamined sediments may pose risks to surrounding biological communities (Watanabe et al, 1997).…”

Section: Organotins In Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to the high affinity of organotins for particulate matter, sediments can act as sinks or sources of these compounds to the water column (Axiak et al, 2000;Langston & Pope, 1995;tenHallers-Tjabbes et al, 2003). Investigations on organotin speciation in sediments are required to study the extent and intensity of the marine environmental contamination, as well as remobilization and degradation processes (Watanabe, Sakai, & Takatsuki, 1995;Watanabe, Takatsuki, & Sakai, 1997;Yonezawa et al, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Imposex and surface sediment speciation: A combined approach to evaluate organotin contamination in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Fernandez

Wagener

Limaverde

et al. 2005

Marine Environmental Research

131

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“…Recently, Axiak et al 15 found a significant digestive cell atrophy in bivalve Ostrea edulis in Mediterranean seawater samples at TBT levels as low as 10 ng l -1 .…”

Section: Organotin Distribution In Seawatermentioning

confidence: 99%

Contamination and Biomethylation of Organotin Compounds in Pearl/Fish Culture Areas in Japan

2004

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Uwakai of Japan is famous for pearl and yellowtail fish culture. Recently, pearl culture farming in that region has suffered from a low production of pearls. An illegal use of organotin antifouling paints on fishing nets was reported. In the line of pollution studies, thus, the present investigation was carried out to examine the contamination status and fate of organotin compounds. Totally, 23 water, 10 sediment and 8 pearl oyster tissue samples were analyzed for tributyltin (TBT), triphenyltin (TPT), and their breakdown products (di-and mono compounds) by gas chromatography combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (GC/ICP-MS). The results show that the TBT concentrations in water, sediment and biota were in the range from 0.11 to 10.6 ng Sn l -1 , 0.35 to 2500 ng Sn g -1 , and 50.4 to 181 ng Sn g -1 , respectively. The values for sediment and biota are expressed on the dry-weight basis. Triphenyltin in water, sediment and biota were in the range from 0.009 to 0.108 ng l -1 , non-detect to 12.7 ng g -1 , and non-detect to 6.83 ng g -1 , respectively. Although the TBT concentration in seawater is below the tentative assessment level of 10 ng l -1 set by the Japanese Environment Agency in 1992, it may cause endocrine disruption/other effects in aquatic organisms. Octyltin compounds (mono-, di-and trioctyltin) were also quantified in seawater and sediment. The detection of dibutyldimethyltin (DBDMT) and tributylmonomethyltin (TBMMT) in sediment (methylated butyltins comprised 2.8 -31% of total butyltins), and TBMMT in seawater suggested that biomethylation of anthropogenic tributyltins is a significant transformation pathway in the coastal environment.

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Evaluation of environmental levels and biological impact of TBT in Malta (central Mediterranean)

Cited by 46 publications

References 6 publications

Organotin contamination in South American coastal areas

Organotin contamination in South American coastal areas

Imposex and surface sediment speciation: A combined approach to evaluate organotin contamination in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Contamination and Biomethylation of Organotin Compounds in Pearl/Fish Culture Areas in Japan

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