Decade-long monitoring reveals a transient distortion of baseline butyltin bioaccumulation pattern in gastropods.
Worldwide measures to restrict tributyltin (TBT) in antifouling paints have been legislated for decades, and were upgraded to a total ban on September 2008. With a view to test the response of coastal biota to changing pollution, since 1996 we have determined the concentration of TBT and derivatives di- and mono-butyltin (DBT and MBT) in NW Spain populations of two gastropods of contrasting biology, the rock-snail Nucella lapillus (n=18) and the mud-snail Nassarius reticulatus (n=24). TBT pollution in the study area has decreased consistently and considerably over time. In addition, the baseline butyltin (BT) bioaccumulation patterns showed a marked but transient distortion. These field observations are consistent with BT desorption from sediments, a natural phenomenon that is now to be expected in developing countries recently subject to the global TBT ban.
Ruiz
J M
JM
Dpto. BA, BV y Ecología, Universidade da Coruña, Alejandro da Sota 1, 15008 Coruña, Spain. jmruiz@udc.es <jmruiz@udc.es>
Díaz
J
J
Albaina
N
N
Couceiro
L
L
Irabien
A
A
Barreiro
R
R
D000818:Animals; D003625:Data Collection; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D049851:Gastropoda / Q000378:metabolism*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009947:Organotin Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D013030:Spain; D013045:Species Specificity; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009947:Organotin Compounds; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds; C516409:mono-n-butyltin; C056189:di-n-butyltin; C011559:tributyltin