Organotin Compounds: Environmental Fate and Analytics.

For more than 50 years, organotin compounds have been used in almost all sectors of industry. As a consequence, specific parts of theenvironmentare affected by the emission of these xenobiotics. The emissions oforganotin compounds into the environmentfrom paints usedin the shipbuilding industry for ship hull coating and from plant protection productsare particularly significant.In 2001, the IMO introduced a global ban on the use of organotins in antifouling systems. However, despite the introduction of laws restricting the production and application of organotin compounds, these contaminantsstill pose a threat to the environment.Organotin compoundshave a very negative effect onlive organisms, therefore monitoring different parts of the environment for their presence is extremely important. Sampling and determination of organotin levels is a complex process that requires several analytical activities such asthecollection, transport, and storage of samples, extractionof analytes from biological samples, derivatization, purification,and the final determination. Most techniques used for analyzing organotin compounds are based on gas chromatography, although recently somemodifiedliquid chromatographymethodsand capillary electrophoresishave also been applied.In this study the literature information on the following topics is presented: toxicity, environmental fate, and analytical methods used fordeterminingorganotin compounds in environmental samples. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]