ACCUMULATION OF ORGANOTINS IN MYTILUS EDULIS FROM NORTHERN ADRIATIC COASTAL WATERS.

Organotin compounds are used extensively in numerous industrial applications and in particular are commonly used as thermal stabilizers for ployvinylchloride plastic (PVC) as catalysts for production of rigid polyurethane foam and as biocides. Recently, questions have been raised regarding the potential adverse environmental impact of organotin compounds, particularly the tributyltin oxide (TBTO) and the tributyltin chloride (TBTC), as residues leached from ships and boats treated with antifouling paints containing these two compounds. It has been observed that organotin compounds tend to acumulate in marine organisms causing definite toxic effects. A rapid method was developed for quantitative analysis of organotin compounds in mussels and sediments by fused silica capillary gas chromatography(mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The samples were homogenized with n-hexane and the organotin compounds were pentylated via Grignard reaction with pentylmagnesium bromide in ethyl ether. The mass spectrometer was used in SIM mode (Selected Ion Monitoring) to enable the simulateneous determination of more than twenty compounds. Recoveries of the organotin compounds were about 85-98% from mussel tissues and sediment samples. The detection limits were 0.05-0.08 µg/g in mussel tissues and 0.03-0.06 µg/g in sediments, respectively. This technique was developed in response to our need to process large numbers of environmental samples with a minimum time investment.