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Organotin: Environmental fate and effects
Marine
PII:
Environmenfal
SOl41-1136(97)00018-4
Research, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 4447, 1997 0 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd All rights reserved. Printed in Great Britain 0141-1136/97 $17.00+0.00
tLSEVlER
Book Review
Organotin: Environmental Fate and Eficts. Edited by M. A. Champ and P. F. Seligman. Chapman and Hall, London (1996), 623pp., $195. ISBN O-412-58240-6.
It is interesting to consider that 10 years after the regulation of tributyltin (TBT) use in marine antifoulants in most western countries, the fate and effects of TBT remain a relevant concern. As a very effective biocide and antifoulant, it is one of the most toxic substances ever deliberately introduced into the marine environment. Ongoing sources of TBT remain, particularly in countries where its use is not regulated. While many of the effects of TBT on marine species are well-understood, many questions about its action, disposition and environmental fate remain. Such questions continue to engage environmental scientists around the world. Because of this continued interest, a comprehensive monograph on the fate and effects of TBT has been long overdue. The long-awaited book, Organotin: Environmental Fate and Eflects, edited by M.A. Champ and P.F. Seligman, is well worth the wait. It is one of two review books on the environmental science of TBT that have been published within the last year. One of these, Tributyltin: Case Study of an Environmental Contaminant, edited by Stephen J. de Mora, is a multidisciplinary case study in environmental science that uses TBT as the context to bring together science, public policy and law (for a review, see Marine Environmental Research 44, 115-l 16 (1997). The de Mora book is very different from the present one, which is a specialist volume that comprehensively brings together the state of TBT-related research as of the early 1990s. As such, it is a valuable resource for anyone working in the field of TBT monitoring, fate and effects research or science-related public policy. Many of the 29 chapters have detailed procedures for chemical and biological methods to analyze for TBT and other organotins and to assess its biological effects. In a sense, this book is not only a comprehensive reference, but also a valuable practical guide where the authors not only provide methodology, but also critical assessments of the value and limitations of the methods used. Because of the fundamental ecotoxicological approach taken by this book, it is relevant not only to the study of TBT, but also to the assessment of the effects of any marine pollutant and therefore should have a broad readership. This is a very well edited book. The structure, format and presentation of the 29 chapters are highly consistent, logically organized and very readable. There are a total of 49 contributors, all experts in the field, who have shared their expertise and experience with the reader. The volume is dedicated to the memory of one of the authors, Dr Geoff Bryan, whose pioneering work in ecotoxicology demonstrated the link between TBT exposure and imposex in Nucefla. - a specific and sensitive biological indicator of TBT stress. This link between pollutant exposure and biological effect is a unifying theme of the book. In the Foreword to the volume, Dr Tony Stebbing presents an eloquent argument for the 445
446
Book Review
monitoring of pollutant effects based on the use of biological pollutant stress indicators in sentinel organisms whose response to a pollutant has been calibrated by combined chemical and biological measurements. This is analogous to the ‘triad’ approach to sediment toxicity monitoring where concurrent chemical, biological and toxicological measurements are used to define a risk/exposure endpoint (Chapman, 1990). The chapters that follow are grouped conceptually. The first is an introductory chapter reviewing the chemistry of organotin compounds, their various uses and overall environmental effects. The second group consists of two chapters that comprehensively review the evolution and current status of the regulation of TBT use in Europe and the rest of the world. The third conceptual group has five chapters dealing with the analytical chemistry of organotins in various matrices using various techniques. These chemistry chapters present the analytical methods, quality assurance and quality control protocols in sufficient detail to serve as a laboratory guide for anyone seeking to perform those techniques. The fourth group is two chapters that review the toxicology of TBT. Included in these chapters is an exhaustive tabulation of TBT acute toxcity parameters for aquatic and marine species as well as a review of chronic toxicity effects. The following four chapters discuss various aspects of the sublethal effects of TBT. These sublethal effects relate to the ‘calibrated’ stress responses in marine organisms advocated as monitoring endpoints by Dr Stebbing at the beginning of the book. The responses include: shell thickening in Crassostrea, effects on embryogenesis and larval development, imposex in Nucella, infaunal and epifaunal sublethal effects and the use of mussels as bioindicators of TBT stress. The chapter on mussels as bioindicators of TBT stress by Drs Michael and Sandra Salazar is particularly useful in that it gives a detailed and practical discussion of the use of growth rate measurements in transplanted mussels as a way to quantify environmental stress - a logical extension of the ‘Mussel Watch’ concept and in keeping with the conceptual framework for biological effects-based pollution monitoring that is an important theme of this book. Chapters 16-18 review the bioconcentration and disposition of TBT in marine animals. In addition to tabulations of published data and discussions of the processes of bioconcentration and elimination of TBT and other hydrophobic substances, Dr R. F. Lee gives a comprehensive review of the cytochrome P450-mediated xenobiotic metabolism of TBT in aquatic organisms. Chapters 19 and 20 review the nature of TBT inputs into marine systems. In designing TBT bioassay experiments, plates coated with TBT-containing paint have often been used as a ‘real-world’ TBT source. The chapter by Dr Schatzberg on the measurement of TBT release rates is a very useful resource for the aquatic toxicologist seeking to design such bioassays. Chapter 20, by Dr Seligman and his colleagues, presents a mini-case study in how one measures the environmental loading of TBT from dry-docks and vessel hulls as related to shipyard activities. Chapters 21-24 deal with a key element in pollutant fate and effects evaluation - the interaction of the pollutant with suspended particulate matter. The fate of a lipophilic pollutant is a multiphase phenomenon involving solute interactions with aqueous, lipid, suspended sediment and gas phases. The interaction between the dissolved pollutant and the lipid pool of an organism that produces the bioconcentration effect is often the focus of our attention because it relates most closely to overall biological effect. However, the extent to which a pollutant associates with the sedimentary phase can have a major effect on the degradation rate and to the bioavailability of a given pollutant (e.g. see Harkey et al., 1994) Therefore, a discussion of this is a very useful element to have in a book like this. This review of sediment/TBT interactions also includes a discussion of computer-based modeling
447
Book Review
of estuarine dispersal of sediment-associated TBT by Dr John Harris and his colleagues. Chapters 23-29 present monographs on monitoring studies of TBT over time at a number of geographic areas. The use of multi-year time series data from monitoring studies such as those presented here can be very important in understanding the processes governing the fate and distribution of TBT in a real-world environment. Not only are marine systems presented, but freshwater systems are also. The book ends with a thoughtful chapter by the editors that summarizes the salient points made in the body of the book and presents a thorough evaluation of research and information needs as a guide for future study. One of the problems faced by a comprehensive reference book in a rapidly evolving field is loss of currency due to the inevitable time lag between manuscript preparation and final publication. This is evident in the present work where there are relatively few post1991 references cited, although some chapters do provide more current references. This does not detract from the value of this book, but the reader needs to be aware that there is a substantial body of more recent work not cited. That aside, this volume is an important resource for TBT researchers and any serious student of pollutant fate and effects. It will be a useful reference for years to come.
REFERENCES Chapman, P. M. (1990) The sediment quality triad approach to determining pollution-induced degradation. The Science of the Total Environment 97198, 815-825. Harkey, G. A., Landrum, P. F. and Klaine, S. J. (1994) Comparison of whole-sediment, elutriate and pore-water exposures for use in assessing sediment-associated organic contaminants in bioassays.
Environmental
Toxicology
and Chemistry
13, 13 15-l 329.
David S. Page Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine 04011, USA
PII:
Environmenfal
SOl41-1136(97)00018-4
Research, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 4447, 1997 0 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd All rights reserved. Printed in Great Britain 0141-1136/97 $17.00+0.00
tLSEVlER
Book Review
Organotin: Environmental Fate and Eficts. Edited by M. A. Champ and P. F. Seligman. Chapman and Hall, London (1996), 623pp., $195. ISBN O-412-58240-6.
It is interesting to consider that 10 years after the regulation of tributyltin (TBT) use in marine antifoulants in most western countries, the fate and effects of TBT remain a relevant concern. As a very effective biocide and antifoulant, it is one of the most toxic substances ever deliberately introduced into the marine environment. Ongoing sources of TBT remain, particularly in countries where its use is not regulated. While many of the effects of TBT on marine species are well-understood, many questions about its action, disposition and environmental fate remain. Such questions continue to engage environmental scientists around the world. Because of this continued interest, a comprehensive monograph on the fate and effects of TBT has been long overdue. The long-awaited book, Organotin: Environmental Fate and Eflects, edited by M.A. Champ and P.F. Seligman, is well worth the wait. It is one of two review books on the environmental science of TBT that have been published within the last year. One of these, Tributyltin: Case Study of an Environmental Contaminant, edited by Stephen J. de Mora, is a multidisciplinary case study in environmental science that uses TBT as the context to bring together science, public policy and law (for a review, see Marine Environmental Research 44, 115-l 16 (1997). The de Mora book is very different from the present one, which is a specialist volume that comprehensively brings together the state of TBT-related research as of the early 1990s. As such, it is a valuable resource for anyone working in the field of TBT monitoring, fate and effects research or science-related public policy. Many of the 29 chapters have detailed procedures for chemical and biological methods to analyze for TBT and other organotins and to assess its biological effects. In a sense, this book is not only a comprehensive reference, but also a valuable practical guide where the authors not only provide methodology, but also critical assessments of the value and limitations of the methods used. Because of the fundamental ecotoxicological approach taken by this book, it is relevant not only to the study of TBT, but also to the assessment of the effects of any marine pollutant and therefore should have a broad readership. This is a very well edited book. The structure, format and presentation of the 29 chapters are highly consistent, logically organized and very readable. There are a total of 49 contributors, all experts in the field, who have shared their expertise and experience with the reader. The volume is dedicated to the memory of one of the authors, Dr Geoff Bryan, whose pioneering work in ecotoxicology demonstrated the link between TBT exposure and imposex in Nucefla. - a specific and sensitive biological indicator of TBT stress. This link between pollutant exposure and biological effect is a unifying theme of the book. In the Foreword to the volume, Dr Tony Stebbing presents an eloquent argument for the 445
446
Book Review
monitoring of pollutant effects based on the use of biological pollutant stress indicators in sentinel organisms whose response to a pollutant has been calibrated by combined chemical and biological measurements. This is analogous to the ‘triad’ approach to sediment toxicity monitoring where concurrent chemical, biological and toxicological measurements are used to define a risk/exposure endpoint (Chapman, 1990). The chapters that follow are grouped conceptually. The first is an introductory chapter reviewing the chemistry of organotin compounds, their various uses and overall environmental effects. The second group consists of two chapters that comprehensively review the evolution and current status of the regulation of TBT use in Europe and the rest of the world. The third conceptual group has five chapters dealing with the analytical chemistry of organotins in various matrices using various techniques. These chemistry chapters present the analytical methods, quality assurance and quality control protocols in sufficient detail to serve as a laboratory guide for anyone seeking to perform those techniques. The fourth group is two chapters that review the toxicology of TBT. Included in these chapters is an exhaustive tabulation of TBT acute toxcity parameters for aquatic and marine species as well as a review of chronic toxicity effects. The following four chapters discuss various aspects of the sublethal effects of TBT. These sublethal effects relate to the ‘calibrated’ stress responses in marine organisms advocated as monitoring endpoints by Dr Stebbing at the beginning of the book. The responses include: shell thickening in Crassostrea, effects on embryogenesis and larval development, imposex in Nucella, infaunal and epifaunal sublethal effects and the use of mussels as bioindicators of TBT stress. The chapter on mussels as bioindicators of TBT stress by Drs Michael and Sandra Salazar is particularly useful in that it gives a detailed and practical discussion of the use of growth rate measurements in transplanted mussels as a way to quantify environmental stress - a logical extension of the ‘Mussel Watch’ concept and in keeping with the conceptual framework for biological effects-based pollution monitoring that is an important theme of this book. Chapters 16-18 review the bioconcentration and disposition of TBT in marine animals. In addition to tabulations of published data and discussions of the processes of bioconcentration and elimination of TBT and other hydrophobic substances, Dr R. F. Lee gives a comprehensive review of the cytochrome P450-mediated xenobiotic metabolism of TBT in aquatic organisms. Chapters 19 and 20 review the nature of TBT inputs into marine systems. In designing TBT bioassay experiments, plates coated with TBT-containing paint have often been used as a ‘real-world’ TBT source. The chapter by Dr Schatzberg on the measurement of TBT release rates is a very useful resource for the aquatic toxicologist seeking to design such bioassays. Chapter 20, by Dr Seligman and his colleagues, presents a mini-case study in how one measures the environmental loading of TBT from dry-docks and vessel hulls as related to shipyard activities. Chapters 21-24 deal with a key element in pollutant fate and effects evaluation - the interaction of the pollutant with suspended particulate matter. The fate of a lipophilic pollutant is a multiphase phenomenon involving solute interactions with aqueous, lipid, suspended sediment and gas phases. The interaction between the dissolved pollutant and the lipid pool of an organism that produces the bioconcentration effect is often the focus of our attention because it relates most closely to overall biological effect. However, the extent to which a pollutant associates with the sedimentary phase can have a major effect on the degradation rate and to the bioavailability of a given pollutant (e.g. see Harkey et al., 1994) Therefore, a discussion of this is a very useful element to have in a book like this. This review of sediment/TBT interactions also includes a discussion of computer-based modeling
447
Book Review
of estuarine dispersal of sediment-associated TBT by Dr John Harris and his colleagues. Chapters 23-29 present monographs on monitoring studies of TBT over time at a number of geographic areas. The use of multi-year time series data from monitoring studies such as those presented here can be very important in understanding the processes governing the fate and distribution of TBT in a real-world environment. Not only are marine systems presented, but freshwater systems are also. The book ends with a thoughtful chapter by the editors that summarizes the salient points made in the body of the book and presents a thorough evaluation of research and information needs as a guide for future study. One of the problems faced by a comprehensive reference book in a rapidly evolving field is loss of currency due to the inevitable time lag between manuscript preparation and final publication. This is evident in the present work where there are relatively few post1991 references cited, although some chapters do provide more current references. This does not detract from the value of this book, but the reader needs to be aware that there is a substantial body of more recent work not cited. That aside, this volume is an important resource for TBT researchers and any serious student of pollutant fate and effects. It will be a useful reference for years to come.
REFERENCES Chapman, P. M. (1990) The sediment quality triad approach to determining pollution-induced degradation. The Science of the Total Environment 97198, 815-825. Harkey, G. A., Landrum, P. F. and Klaine, S. J. (1994) Comparison of whole-sediment, elutriate and pore-water exposures for use in assessing sediment-associated organic contaminants in bioassays.
Environmental
Toxicology
and Chemistry
13, 13 15-l 329.
David S. Page Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine 04011, USA