title: Assessment of tin and butyltin species in estuarine superficial sediments from Gipuzkoa, Spain.
abstract: Ten superficial sediments from river estuaries of Gipuzkoa (North Spain) were collected and analyzed for nine metals (including tin, Sn) and butyltin compounds (monobutyltin, MBT; dibutyltin, DBT; tributyltin, TBT). Total metal concentration in the fine fraction (<63 micrometer) of the sediment was determined in aqua regia--hydrofluoric acid extracts by atomic absorption spectrometry. The butyltin species (BTs) were firstly extracted from the sediments with hydrochloric acid-methanol mixture. After derivatization with sodium tetraethyl borate, the organotin compounds were extracted by solid phase microextraction (SPME) in headspace mode. A fiber coated with 100 micrometer poly(dimethylsiloxane) was used for SPME. The organotin species were analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection. Analysis of the certified reference sediment (PACS-2) shown the suitability of the procedures for determination of metal contents and DBT-TBT species in contaminated sediments. Factorial analysis was used to examine the main sources of metals. Three factors represented more than 89% of the total variance of the metal system, and the Sn was related with Cu-Zn-Pb suggesting the same pollution source. The BTs concentrations in the area were high (TBT ranged from 0.05 to 5.48 mg Sn kg(-1)). The percentage of total butyltin species ( summation operator BTs) respect to the total Sn amount was higher than 4% in all the sediments, showing in the Bidasoa river estuary a remarkable value higher than 20%. Hence, the studied estuarine sediments reflect a pollution that is related with historical industrial and fishing activities of the area.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Aplicada (Química Analítica), Facultad de Quimica, Universidad del País Vasco, Apartado 1072, 20080, San Sebastián, Spain
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Arambarri
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Millán
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D009947:Organotin Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D013030:Spain; D014001:Tin / Q000032:analysis*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D009947:Organotin Compounds; D014873:Water Pollutants; D014001:Tin