Butyltin and phenyltin compounds in river i bay sediments of Tokyo

The occurrence and current status of butyltin and phenyltin compounds were investigated in sediments collected from the Arakawa and Sumida Rivers and Tokyo Bay in 2000. A series of butyltin and phenyltin compounds, including monobutyltin (MBT), dibutyltin (DBT), tributyltin (TBT), monophenyltin (MPT), diphenyltin (DPT), and triphenyltin (TPT) was detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The total concentrations of the butyltin (MBT + DBT + TBT) and phenyltin (MPT + DPT + TPT) compounds ranged from 25.7 to 116 and from non-detectable levels to 22.4 ng g' (as Sn), respectively. The concentrations of the organotin (OT) compounds in sediments were relatively lower than those of the samples collected in 1984. OT compounds accounted for 124% (as Sn) of total Sn in the sediments. Among the OT compounds investigated, MBT was the most prevalent in the sediments.