Findings of tributyltin, dibutyltin and monobutyltin in bivalves from selected U.S. coastal waters

Abstract A method is presented for determining trace levels of tributyltin (TBT) and its degradation products dibutyltin (DBT) and monobutyltin (MBT) and the TBT manufacturing impurity tetrabutyltin (TTBT) in bivalve mollusc tissue. Butyltin compounds were analyzed in bivalve molluscs collected from selected near-shore sites of the U.S. east and west coasts. All bivalves from the sites investigated were contaminated with TBT, DBT and, sporadically, MBT. The ratio of TBT/DBT in sentinel organism tissue appears to be a species-specific equilibrium value, with average values for Mytilus edulis of 2.5 and Mytilus californianus of 11.6.