Accumulation of Butyltins in Muscle Tissue of Chinook Salmon Reared in Sea Pens Treated With Tri-n-Butyltin

Abstract

Muscle tissue of chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, reared for 3 to 9 months in sea pens treated with an antifouling biocide, tri-n-butyltin (TBT), contained organotin concentrations of <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0.28-0.90 \mu</tex> g/g (as TBT). Organotins are present in some pen-reared salmon sold in the United States: Eleven of 15 salmon advertised as aquaculture products and purchased from public markets contained organotin concentrations of <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0.081-0.20 \mu</tex> g/g. Preliminary anaylses by GCAA indicate that these organotin concentrations are TBT. Most common cooking practices do not effectively destroy or remove butyltins from salmon muscle tissue. We believe this is the first evidence of entry of organotins into the human diet in the United States.