Preliminary investigation of a sensitive biomarker of organotin pollution in Chinese coastal aquatic environment and marine organisms

In nine batches of sea bivalves collected from Chinese coastal cities during the year of 2000 to 2002, a special sample named Mya arenaria was found to have strong ability of butyltin accumulation compared with the other sampled bivalves in the corresponding batches. Tributyltin compound was the predominant pollutant with the detection rate high up to 100%. Special high levels of (mu)g Sn/g were detected in some Mya arenaria samples. The results obtained showed that Mya arenaria was potentially a biomarker to indicate organotin pollution in coastal aquatic environment.