Tributyltin compounds in mussels, oysters and sediments of Chinhae Bay, Korea

To study the historical and current status of the environmental levels of organotin compounds in Chinhae Bay in southeast Korea, mussels (Mytilus edulis galloprovincialis), oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and sediment cores were analysed for tributyltin (TBT) compounds. TBT concentrations were higher in oysters (mean: 0.25 μg TBT-Sn/g dry wt) than in mussels (mean: 0.20 μg TBT-Sn/g dry wt). The major sources of TBT are in the inner bay, and the highest TBT concentrations of 0.50 μg TBT-Sn/g (mussels) and 0.74 μg TBT-Sn/g (oysters) were observed at the site adjacent to the port. Concentrations of TBT decreased sharply with distance from the inner bay toward the outer bay and there was little TBT in the outer bay. A significant correlation was observed between this distance and the tissue TBT content of oysters and mussels. The concentration and percentages of TBT in sediment cores decreased with depth as a result of debutylation. Half-lives of TBT and dibutyltin (DBT) in sediments were 6.9 and 11.6 y, respectively. The TBT concentrations in mussels were higher than those in sediments by a factor of 4–7