title: Venezuelan Caribbean Sea under the threat of TBT.
abstract: Although environmental tributyltin (TBT) contamination is considered a solved problem, imposex occurrence in Plicopurpura patula as well as butyltins (BTs) contamination in sediments and tissues were detected along 700 km of the Caribbean coastal shore. Areas under the influence of five main ports of Venezuela were covered, as well as large marinas and sites located away from expected sources. Marinas were the most contaminated areas, whilst imposex incidence and TBT levels were relatively low in areas nearby commercial harbors. Thus, it is evident that marinas have become the main source of fresh TBT to the region. This might explain why imposex incidence seems to be widely distributed along the Venezuelan coast, since leisure boats are circulating along the whole coastal region. In fact, this could be the pattern for other areas of the Caribbean Sea.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Estudios Ambientales, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Venezuela.
authors.forename: César Augusto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Paz-Villarraga
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências do Mar, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil; Laboratório de Microcontaminantes Orgânicos e Ecotoxicologia Aquática, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ítalo B
authors.initials: ÍB
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Estudios Ambientales, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Venezuela.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miloslavich
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Microcontaminantes Orgânicos e Ecotoxicologia Aquática, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gilberto
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fillmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017691:Caribbean Region; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D012908:Snails / Q000187:drug effects*; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D014687:Venezuela; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014220:Trialkyltin Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C011559:tributyltin
keywords: Imposex; Marina; Plicopurpura patula; Pollution; Port; Sediment