Changes in Concentrations of Organotins in U.K. Rivers and Estuaries Following Legislation in 1986

On the 13th of January 1986 the UK Government introduced a package of measures to control inputs of TBT from small boats to the marine environment. In order to monitor the efficacy of the controls, a monitoring and research programme has been carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at Burnham-on-Crouch. Data for concentrations of organotins in nine U.K. estuaries from 1986 and early 1987 are compared with earlier results for east-coast estuaries. A detailed study of a small river system, the Bure in Norfolk, has shown that concentrations of TBT in popular fresh water recreational centres may be even higher than those previously found in estuaries.