Organotin contamination in sediments from the Western Mediterranean enclosures following 10 years of TBT regulation

Abstract

Organotin (OT) compounds, namely butyl and phenyl, were measured in 38 recent sediments collected in harbours of the Western Mediterranean Sea (Northern: 4 and Southern: 9) and domestic and industrial sewage disposal sites (Northern: 9 and Southern: 1). Butyltins were the predominant tin species identified as being tributyltin (TBT) widespread in the whole area which suggests recent inputs of OTs. The highest levels of TBT were detected in commercial harbours associated with inputs from large vessels (average value: 5.0 μg TBT g −1). Moreover, relatively high TBT values were also detected in fishing and recreational boating areas (average level ca. 1.0 μg TBT g −1). Phenyltin derivatives occurred at lower levels than butyltins being the monophenyltin the predominant compound (average values 45–945 ng g −1). The large predominance of the phenyltin degradation products (i.e. mono and diphenyltin) over the parent compound (i.e. triphenyltin) suggests that there are almost no recent inputs of these compounds. Furthermore, a comparative study of the OT occurrence in the sewage sludge disposal sites offshore Barcelona and Almerı́a (domestic) and into the Tarragona harbour (industrial) shows that domestic primary sewage sludge effluents can contribute to coastal OT pollution (244 ng TBT g −1). Nevertheless, sewage sludge is a secondary source of OT contamination in the coastal environment in comparison to commercial harbours. In a comparative study with previous data collected in the late 1980s, the present study reveals that OT regulations established in the Mediterranean region in 1991 on the use of TBT-based antifouling paints have been effective in marinas, but reveals a significant TBT contamination in commercial and fishing harbours.