Organotin compounds in surface sediments from selected fishing ports along the Chinese coast

Abstract

The concentrations and species of organotin compounds (OTCs) in 52 surface sediment samples from nine fishing ports along the Chinese coast were studied. Butyltins (BTs) and phenyltins (PhTs) were derivatized using sodium tetraethylborate (NaBEt 4 ) and determined by head-space solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) gas chromatography coupled with a flame photometric detector (GC-FPD). The concentrations of OTCs ranged from <3.6 to 194 ng (Sn) g −1 dry weight (dw) for monobutyltin (MBT), <2.3 to 41.5 ng (Sn) g −1 dw for dibutyltin (DBT), <0.7 to 86.0 ng (Sn) g −1 dw for tributyltin (TBT) and <5.1 to 66.1 ng (Sn) g −1 dw for monophenyltin (MPhT), respectively. The concentrations of diphenyltin (DPhT) and triphenyltin (TPhT) were below the limit of detection (LOD). BTs were the main species in the sediments except for the samples collected from Shazikou fishing port in Qingdao. The concentrations of MBT were higher than DBT and TBT. The concentrations of OTCs in the sediments varied widely among different sampling locations. The concentrations of BTs were much higher in the samples collected from fishing ports close to the South China Sea than those in coast of the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea. MPhT was prevalent in most sampling stations except for those in coast of the East China Sea. The environmental and ecotoxicological risks of TBT in most sediment samples were low.

Organotin Contamination in Sediments and Aquatic Organisms from the Yangtze Estuary and Adjacent Marine Environments

“…• 20 cm length) that only allowed us to take from a depth of 20 cm into the sediment. Surface sediment of 20 cm is representative of contaminant deposition in recent years, which is comparable with sampling depth of 5-20 cm employed previously (Dıez et al, 2002;Jadhav et al, 2009;Flores et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2013). After shipping the samples back to the laboratory at Tongji University, the sediments were freeze-dried at -45°C for 48 h and ground until fine particles were obtained.…”

“…This poses a serious threat to the coastal marine environment. In China, organotin pollution in coastal zones has been reported sporadically (Xu et al, 1998;Yan et al, 2000;Zhou et al, 2002;Huang et al, 2005;Yang et al, 2006;Zhang et al, 2013). According to the published literature, organotin exists in different environmental media (water, sediment, and biota).…”

Concentration of Organotin and Booster Biocides in Sediments of Seagrass Area from Sungai Pulai Estuary, South of Johor, Malaysia

“…The geological element is based on the physicochemical characteristics of sediment such as particle size and organic carbon content [42,43]. Generally, the concentrations of BTs in the sediments collected from this seagrass area are lower than those reported at other locations, such the studies conducted in the semi-closed Port of Gdynia [44], fishing ports along the Chinese coast [45], Southern Baltic coastal zone [46], Kaohsiung Harbour, Taiwan [47], and Korean Special Management Sea Areas [48]. The results are probably due to the prohibited use of OT as an ingredient in paints on ship hulls since 2008 and the compounds that degrade in sediments due to ecological and physical reactions [18].…”

Tributyltin (TBT): A Review on Microbial Resistance and Degradation

“…Accordingly, data for TBTCl solubility in the water range from 5 to 50 mg L -1 , whereas dibutyltin dichloride (DBTCl 2 ) solubility is higher, up to 92 mg L -1 (Rudel, 2003). Due to its low water solubility, OTs strongly bind to suspended material and inorganic sediments (Laughlin Jr et al, 1986), just as shallow marine sediments (de Oliveira et al, 2010;Filipkowska et al, 2011;Okoro et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2013). OTs are hydrophobic due to the hydrocarbon substituents.…”