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Spatiotemporal appraisal of TBT contamination and imposex along a tropical bay (Todos os Santos Bay, Brazil)

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Abstract

A spatiotemporal evaluation of butyltin contamination was performed between 2010 and 2012 along Todos os Santos Bay (Northeast Brazil) using surface sediments, bivalve tissues (Anomalocardia brasiliana and Mytella guyanensis), and imposex occurrence (Stramonita rustica). The spatial study detected high tributyltin (TBT) levels (maximum values of 262 ng Sn g -1 - 21,833 ng Sn g−1 of total organic carbon - for surface sediments and 421 ng Sn g−1 for bivalve tissues) in the innermost part of the bay. The TBT levels detected in M. guyanensis tissues might cause human health risk since local population consumes these organisms. These high concentrations observed in the bivalves might result in ingestions higher than the safe limits established by European Food Safety Authority (250 ng TBT kg−1 day−1). Considering the temporal evaluation, no difference (p > 0.05) was observed between TBT concentrations in sediments obtained during the two sampling campaigns (2010/2011 and 2012). However, the increasing predominance of TBT metabolites (butyltin degradation index (BDI) >1) in more recent sediments indicates further degradation of old TBT inputs. In spite of that, recent inputs are still evident at this region. Nevertheless, a reduction of imposex parameters in S. rustica over the last decade suggests an overall decline in the TBT contamination, at least in the outermost and possible less impacted region of the bay. The TBT contamination is probably reducing due to the national and international legislative restrictions on the use of TBT as antifouling biocide. The contamination levels, however, are still relevant especially in the inner part of Todos os Santos Bay since they are above those that are likely to cause toxicity to the biota.

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Acknowledgments

We thank FINEP for the financial support (project no. 01.11.0038.00). V. Artifon was sponsored by CAPES, Í.B. Castro by CAPES (802-16/2012) and FAPERGS (0885/12-1), and G. Fillmann by CNPq (PQ 312341/2013-0). We also thank Vanessa Hatje and Gilmara Eça from the Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) for supplying the samples of campaign 1.

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  1. Laboratório de Microcontaminantes Orgânicos e Ecotoxicologia Aquática, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, RS, 96201-900, Brazil

    Vanda Artifon, Ítalo Braga Castro & Gilberto Fillmann

  2. Departamento de Ciências do Mar, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Santos, SP, Brazil

    Ítalo Braga Castro

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  1. Vanda Artifon
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  2. Ítalo Braga Castro
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Correspondence to Gilberto Fillmann.

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Artifon, V., Castro, Í.B. & Fillmann, G. Spatiotemporal appraisal of TBT contamination and imposex along a tropical bay (Todos os Santos Bay, Brazil). Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 16047–16055 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6745-7

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