• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.82-89
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• 2002

Butyltins (BTs) were measured in 2 species of shellfish and 16 species of fish collected along the Korean coast. Tributyltin (TBT) was detected in the mussels and oysters of sentinel organisms (20 to 940 ng Sn/g dry wt), indicating widespread contamination of TBT in the Korean coast. The elevated concentrations of TBT in the shellfish found in the sites near harbors or shipyards suggested that antifouling paints are probable major sources of butyltins in these areas. The TBT compound was detected in 12 out of 16 fish samples. The concentrations of TBT in fish muscles wee between 7 and 151 ng Sn/g dry wt, while the level in whole body of anchovy was very high (793 ng Sn/g dry wt). Exposure doses to Korean people via consumption of these marine products wee evaluated. The results suggested that the environmental levels of TBT were below the level of concern.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.64-70
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• 1998

Forty sediment samples from Kyeonggi Bay, Korea were analyzed for butyltins, including tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin (DBT), and monobutyltin (MBT) to determine their distribution and source in this area. Total butyltin concentrations in Kyeonggi Bay sediments ranged from 0.8 to 297 ng/g dry wt. with a mean value of 38 ng/g. The highest butyltin concentration was found in the innermost site in Incheon Harbor basin. The mouth of Han River had higher butyltin levels in sediments compared to open ocean. Butyltin levels correlated well with organic carbon content of sediment, but the major factor was the distance from the source area where antifouling paints were used for vessels and marine structures. Butyltin concentrations in the study area were lower than those reported for bays in other parts of the world. Considering the high toxic potential and sediment/water partition coefficient of TBT, further studies are needed to assess its biological effect in the marine ecosystem of Kyeonggi Bay.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.385-394
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• 2011

Organotin compounds (OTs), namely butyltins compounds (BTs) and phenyltin compounds (PhTs), were measured in surface and core sediments collected in Jeju harbor. The horizontal and vertical distribution was examined and the relationship between the concentration of OTs and organic matter content and particle size distribution was also studied. BTs were detected in significant concentrations in sediments inside Jeju harbor. PhTs were detected in very low concentrations, compared to BTs. The main species in BTs and PhTs were dibutyltin (DBT) and monobutyltin (MBT), monophenyltin (MPhT), respectively. In the relationships between the concentrations of total BTs and organic carbon content, the significant correlations ($r^2$=0.4898 in surface sediments, $r^2$=0.53 in one core sediments) and no correlation in another core sediments obtained, which is estimated that the distribution of BTs in sediments were affected by several factors, such as their physicochemical properties including organic carbon content, and a tide, etc. In the relationships between the concentrations of total BTs and particle size (mud, sand, and gravel) in sediments, the concentrations of total BTs were higher in the sediments with higher mud content, indicating that higher BTs were distributed with increasing sediments of fine granules.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.164-169
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• 2003

Organotins are widely used organometals in various agricultural and industrial purposes. After introduction of these chemicals to the aquatic environment, they are degraded by abiotic and biotic precesses. The triorganotin compounds are sequentially degraded to di-organotin, mono-organotin and then finally inorganic tin. Although the effects of trialkyltin an marine organisms have been intensively studied, little has been known on plankton as a producer of ecosystem. In this paper, the toxicities of dibutyltin (DBT), monobutyltin (MBT), diphenyltin (DPT), monophenyltin (MPT), trimethyltin (TMT) and dimethyltin (DMT) to rotifer Brachionus plicatilis were measured, and their potencies were compared based on 96 hr-$LC_{50}$ value. The results showed that DPT (13.8 ppb) was the highest toxic, which was followed by TMT (42.9), DBT (80.6), MPT (262.2), MBT and DMT (>1,000) in order. Thus, in tri- and diorganotins, the toxicity was observed phenyltins > butyltins > methyltins, and in mono-organotins phenyltins was more toxic than butyltins. Considering the order of 96 hr--$LC_{50}$ with octanol-water eoefficients ($K_{ow}$) in organotins together, it was considered that the toxicity of organotins seems to be related to the lipophilicity of the compounds.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.655-665
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• 2011

Contamination of butyltin compounds (BTs), namely tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin (DBT) and monobutyltin (MBT), was evaluated in sediments collected inside Jeju Harbor in 2001. The concentrations of BTs in surface sediments were comparable to those in other sites of domestic and foreign countries. The high correlations between BTs in surface ($r^2$ = 0.83~0.91) and core ($r^2$ = 0.70~0.79) sediments and the significant correlations between BTs concentrations and the number of incoming and outgoing vessels indicated that DBT and MBT were mainly degraded from TBT based on antifouling paints of vessels etc. and other sources, such as DBT and MBT, could be ignored. The butyltin degradation indices ([DBT] + [MBT]/[TBT]) in surface sediments were in the range of 2.2~3.6 (mean 2.7), indicating that the parent compound, TBT, was inflowed into the surface sediments a long ago, degraded and deposited. The sedimentation age of BTs contaminated core sediments could not estimated because the content of $^{210}Pb$ activity was nearly all the same and so the sedimentation rate could not obtained.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.12 no.8
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• pp.881-889
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• 2003

Spatial and vertical variations of butyltins(BTs) were investigated in polluted sediments from Jinhae, Busan, Ulsan and Yeongil Bays located in the southeastern part of Korea. Tributyltin(TBT) as a dominant species was detected in 18 of the 20 surficial sediments, and TBT levels were lower that for those in heavily polluted areas worldwide, ranging from 12 to 766 ng Sn/g dry wt. Distribution of TBT levels among bays was not significantly different (p=0.286, ANOVA). The horizontal distributions observed at 20 sites suggests that TBT concentrations are still high in polluted sites around harbors and industrial complexes. The sedimentary records a peak in the early 1990s in Jinhae Bay, in the mid 1980s in Ulsan Bay and in the late 1970s in Yeongil Bay except for Busan Bay which had a homogenous profile. In paricular, TBT at the surface sediments of four core samples still had high levels. From the horizontal and vertical results, it could be assumed that TBT inputs in the sediments were not reduced significantly compared to past levels. The annual accumulation rates estimated using the sedimentation rates and the concentration of surficial sediments exhibited that the accumulation rate of Ulsan Bay was greater than the rates for Jinhae and Yeongil Bays.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.22 no.1 s.56
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• pp.19-26
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• 2007

Accumulation of tributyltin (TBT) in serum, liver and muscle of olive flounder (Paralichtys olivaceus) was investigated in a 60-d static renewal exposure at $0.1{\mu}g$ TBT/L. Tributyltin accumulated rapidly from 83 ng Sn/g to 2,227 ng Sn/g on a wet weight basis in the serum of the olive flounder and to a greater extent than in the other tissues. The accumulated TBT concentrations in tissues were in the order of serum>liver>muscle on wet or dry-weight basis. High concentrations of dibutyltin (DBT: 990 ng Sn/g dry wt) and monobutyltin (MBT: 141 ng Sn/g dry wt), degradation products of TBT were found in liver of olive flounder at the end of exposure. On the other hand, DBT and MBT was below the detection limits in muscle during the exposure, and only low concentration of DBT (56 ng Sn/g) were detectefd in serum. Butyltin compounds were also quantitatively determined in feral fine-spotted flounder (Pleuronichthys cornutus) collected from Gwangyang Bay as one of polluted area and Sori Island as a reference site. All three butyltin compounds were detected from the fine-spotted flounder from Gwangyang Bay up to 3,107 ng Sn/g of total butyltins in liver, while 120 ng Sn/g of total butyltin concentration was found in the liver of fish from Sori Island.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.341-350
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• 2009

This study involves a relationship between butyltins concentrations and histopathological changes of the digestive gland in the equilateral venus, Gomphina veneriformis exposed to TBTCl of 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 ${\mu}g/L$ for 36 weeks. In the sediment, total butyltin (${\sum}BT$) concentration was detected ND~7.54 (0.4 ${\mu}g/L$), ND~9.76 (0.6 ${\mu}g/L$), 1.22~13.13 ${\mu}g/L$ (0.8 ${\mu}g/L$), respectively. Especially, TBT level in 0.8 ${\mu}g/L$ group was the highest for 36 weeks. In the soft tissue, total butyltin (${\sum}BT$) concentration of the exposure group was 10.14~12.75 (control), 479.29~1,286.56 (0.4 ${\mu}g/L$), 563.32~2,154.82 (0.6 ${\mu}g/L$) and 1,317.70~2,132.60 ${\mu}g/L$ (0.8 ${\mu}g/L$), respectively. Ratio of TBT to ${\sum}BT$ of the tissue of 0.8 ${\mu}g/L$ kept the lowest level for 36 weeks. The ${\sum}BT$ concentrations of sediment were correlated with ${\sum}BT$ concentrations in the tissue. In the exposure groups, necrosis and atrophy of columnar epithelial cell and collapse of epithelial layer in the digestive tubule. And there was a reduction in stain affinity of basophilic cell. Such histological degenerations was more severe in digestive tubule of 0.8 ${\mu}g/L$ group.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.241-250
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• 2012

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), butyltins (BTs), nonylphenol (NP), and fecal sterols concentrations in sediments were investigated from Gunsan coast of Korea to evaluate organic pollution from anthropogenic activities. Sediment toxicity was also examined by bacterial bioluminescence toxicity test (Vibrio fischeri). The concentrations of 16 PAHs in sediments ranged from 67.9 to 425 ng/g dry wt; BTs ranged from 2.79 to 14.1 ng Sn/g dry wt; NP ranged from 20.7 to 2171 ng/g dry wt; and coprostanol, a fecal sterol, ranged from 7.60 to 245 ng/g dry wt. Effective concentration 50% ($EC_{50}$) of sediments ranged from 0.38 to 23.8 mg/mL. Most of the chemicals were present at levels lower than or comparable to the previously reported values from Korea. However, NP levels in the present study were in the high range of levels reported from the Korean coast, and 40% of the measured samples exceeded screening and ecotoxicological values of NP suggested by the Netherlands and Canada. This suggests that an ongoing source of NP is a serious concern in the Gunsan coast. High levels of contaminants were found in the proximity of potential sources, such as the outfall of a wastewater treatment plant for NP, an anthracite-fired power plant for PAHs, and ports for BTs, fecal sterols, and sediment toxicity. This indicates that Gunsan coast has various potential sources of marine sediment contaminants.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.171-184
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• 2016

In order to assess the level of contamination and identify the priority contaminants in the Busan coast, intensive sediment sampling was conducted and persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals were analyzed. The Sediment Quality Index (SQI) was derived based on the contaminant data by comparing with Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs) established in Korea, Canada, and Australia/New Zealand. Toxic contaminants were found to be widely distributed across the coast. Among organic contaminants, PAHs showed the highest concentration, followed by butyltins, nonylphenols, PBDEs, DDTs, PCBs, HCHs and CHLs. Heavy metals were also abundantly detected with the highest concentration of Zn followed by Cu > Cr > Pb > Ni > As > Cd > Hg. Compared to organic contaminants, most heavy metals, except for Cu and Hg, were homogeneously distributed along the coast in a good relationship with total organic carbon of sediment particles. In general, the concentrations of organic compounds and heavy metals were highest at the inner part of harbor areas with a tendency to decline from inside areas to the outside, indicating the high loading of pollutants from harbors. A high exceedance for low-SQGs and high-SQGs was found for TBT, p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD, Cu and Zn. The SQI scores calculated from low-SQGs and high-SQGs were in the range of 18-100 and 54-100, respectively. The inner part of Busan Harbor, Dadaepo Harbor, and Gamcheon Harbor were observed as being regions of concern. Overall, TBT, Cu, and p,p'-DDT were the chemicals most frequently exceeding SQGs and influencing SQI scores.