ACCUMULATION PATTERN OF BUTYLTIN COMPOUNDS IN DOLPHIN, TUNA, AND SHARK COLLECTED FROM ITALIAN COASTAL WATERS

Tributyltin (TBT) and its breakdown products, mono- (MBT) and dibutylt in (DBT) were determined in bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), b luefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus thynnus) and blue shark (Prionace glauca) collected from the Italian coast of the Mediterranean Sea in 1992-199 3. Concentrations of total butyltin (BTs) in the liver of dolphin (1,2 00-2,200 ng/g wet wt) were an order of magnitude higher than in the bl ubber (48-320 ng/g wet wt). TBT was the predominant butyltin species i n the blubber while DBT accounted for an higher proportion in the live r of dolphins. Butyltin concentrations in bluefin tuna were lower than those in dolphins, with TBT highest in the muscle and DBT in the live r. Concentrations of BTs in blue sharks were lower than those in dolph in and tuna, with kidney having the highest concentrations. TBT was th e predominant form of butyltin derivatives in all the tissues of shark . Accumulation of butyltin compounds in liver/kidney seems to be assoc iated with the presence of proteins such as glutathione.