Accumulation of butyltins in sediments and lipid tissues of the Asian clam, Potamocorbula amurensis, near Mare Island Naval Shipyard, San Francisco Bay

Studies of butyltin compounds in soil, benthic sediments and the Asian clam Potamocorbula amurensis were conducted at the former Mare Island Naval Shi pyard, and nearby Mare Island and Carquinez Straits in San Francisco Bay, C alifornia. Soils from a sandblast abrasives dump site at the shipyard conta ined low concentrations of mono-, di- and tributyltin (0.3-52 ng/g, total b utyltin), Similarly, concentrations of total butyltin in benthic sediments from nearby Mare Island and Carquinez Straits ranged from 1.3 to 8.1 ng/g, In contrast, clams accumulated much greater concentrations (152-307 ng/g, t otal butyltin), Tributyltin (TBT) and dibutyltin (DBT) made up from 54-85% to 15-46%, respectively, of the total butyltin body burden of the clams. Bi ota Sediment Accumulation Factors (BSAFs) for butyltins in Potamocorbula we re in reasonable agreement with Literature values; they are greater than th ose of neutral hydrophobic compounds, suggesting that partitioning and bind ing processes may be involved in bioaccumulation, Tributyltin is a potent e ndocrine disrupting chemical. There is potential for long-term chronic effe cts of TBT in San Francisco Bay. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd . All rights reserved.