Assessment of organotin contamination in marine sediments and biota from the Gulf and adjacent region

Butyltin species were measured in sediments from coastal locations in the Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Both butyltin and phenyltin species were measured in biota samples from four countries in this region. With tributyltin (TBT) concentrations up to 60 ng Sn g(-1), some sediments could be classified as contaminated (i.e. TBT > 1.3 ng Sn g(-1)), namely Dukhan (Qatar), the BAPCO industrial complex and Askar (Bahrain), and Hilf and the Raysut Port Area (Oman). Higher concentrations of total butyltins were found in oysters relative to fish, but ranging from 6.5 to 48 8 ng Sn g(-1) dry weight they are nonetheless relatively low. Diphenyltin and triphenyltin were found in some fish and bivalves from the Gulf, but not in biota from the Gulf of Oman. The environmental levels of organotin species are comparatively low by global standards and pose no immediate public health problems. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.