Tributyltin and imposex:no uncertainty shown

Imposex and organotin contamination in Nassarius reticulatus (L.) along the Portuguese coast

“…Such high levels have been reported for the 2000 survey (values varying between 34 and 63%) 5 and for northwest Spain in 1998 near pollution hotspots. 27 N. reticulatus also exhibited high levels of imposex inside harbours, where I was 100% and the RPLI and VDSI were, on average, 69% and 4.5 respectively. These values resemble those reported by other workers for the most polluted harbours in Spain (e.g.…”

Reply to comment ŒTributyltin and imposex:no uncertainty shown¹ by Ruiz et al.

“…(6) 'It has to be noted that the improvements in chemical analysis which Davies et al plead for have indeed been achieved in the last decade, and routine protocols for tissues currently yield TBT detection limits below 10 ng Sn g-' dry weight (e.g Ide et al 1997, Ruiz et al 1998). In addition, it has long been recognised that pollution reports should control and assure the quality of data by means of the use of certified reference materials (material for TBT has been available from the Japanese NIES since 1990).…”

Increasing levels of tributyltin-induced imposex in muricid gastropods at Phuket Island, Thailand

“…10 A few field observations have suggested that the causative agent is not always TBT, 12,13 but none of them has proved this. 14 Imposex has mainly been observed close to ports, ship yards, marinas and around mariculture facilities where organotin compounds are used in antifouling paints, 19,20 but it has also been found in Bucinum undatum (Linnaeus, 1758) from the open sea, in relation to the deep sea routes in the North Sea. 21 The dilemma of tributyltin is that its extreme effectiveness as an antifouling agent also makes it a potent toxin of anthropogenic origin that threatens seafood resources in coastal environments.…”