Definition
Tin (Sn, from stannum) is the 49th most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, where it occurs primarily as a mineral containing tin dioxide (SnO2). In its elemental form, tin is a soft, silver-white metal which is relatively inert toward air and water. Tin is a main group metal (atomic number 50) and appears in its inorganic and organic compounds in two oxidation states: +2 and the more stable +4. While elemental tin and the inorganic tin compounds are considered relatively nontoxic, the more lipid-soluble organic tin species exhibit a variety of distinct toxic reactions. Generally, tri-substituted (R3SnX) and disubstituted (R2SnX2) organotins are more toxic than mono-substituted (RSnX3) tin species. Toxicity decreases with increasing alkyl chain length independent on the counter ions (Gajda and Jancsó 2010).
Exposure
Human exposure to tin arises from the release of the metal and its compounds from natural and anthropogenic sources....
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Appel KE (2004) Organotin compounds: toxicokinetic aspects. Drug Metab Rev 36:763–786
Aschner M, Gannon M, Kimelberg HK (1992) Interactions of trimethyl tin (TMT) with rat primary astrocyte cultures: altered uptake and efflux of rubidium, L-glutamate and D-aspartate. Brain Res 582:181–185
ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) (2005) Toxicological profile for tin and tin compounds. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta
Ciba-Geigy Ltd (1986) 24 month carcinogenicity study in rats. Final report TK127000/1 Basel, Ciba-Geigy Ltd., 2. January (GU project No. 800218)
Cooke CM (2002) Effect of organotins on human aromatase activity in vitro. Toxicol Lett 126:126–130
Dopp E, Hartmann LM, Florea A-M, Rettenmeier AW, Hirner AV (2004) Environmental distribution, analysis, and toxicity of organometal(loid) compounds. Crit Rev Toxicol 34:301–333
DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) (2010) List of MAK and BAT Values 2010, Report No. 46. Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area (ed), Wiley-VCH, Weinheim
Gajda T, Jancsó A (2010) Organotins. formation, use, speciation, and toxicology. In: Sigel A, Sigel H, Sigel RKO (eds) Metal ions in life sciences, vol 7. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, pp 111–151
Hirner AV, Rettenmeier AW (2010) Methylated metal(loid) species in humans. Met Ions Life Sci 7:465–521
Koczyk D (1996) How does trimethyltin affect the brain: facts and hypotheses. Acta Neurobiol Exp (Warsz) 56:587
Matthiessen P, Gibbs PE (1998) Critical appraisal of the evidence for tributyltin-mediated endocrine disruption in mollusks. Environ Toxicol Chem 17:37–43
Michalke B, Halbach S, Nischwitz V (2009) Metal speciation related to neurotoxicity in humans. J Environ Monit 11:939–954
Mosinger M (1975) Centre D’Exploitations et de Recherches Medicales, Marseille, Final Report Advastab TM 181 FS (Cincinnati-Milacron)
Nakanishi T (2008) Endocrine disruption induced by organotin compounds; organotins function as a powerful agonist for nuclear receptors rather than an aromatase inhibitor. J Toxicol Sci 33(3):269–276
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this entry
Cite this entry
Dopp, E., Rettenmeier, A.W. (2013). Tin, Toxicity. In: Kretsinger, R.H., Uversky, V.N., Permyakov, E.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Metalloproteins. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1533-6_118
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1533-6_118
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-1532-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-1533-6
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences