Occurrence of butyltin residues in sediment and mussel tissues from the lowermost tennessee river and Kentucky lake, U.S.A.

Surface sediments and mussel samples were collected at six selected locations in the lowermost Tennessee River and Kentucky Lake, U.S.A. and analyzed for butyltin (BT) derivatives. In sediments, total BT concentrations ranged from 6.8 to 356 ng g−1 dry wt. A wide range of concentrations in sediments suggested the presence of localized area of contamination. In mussel tissues, total BT concentrations varied between 26–107 ng g−1 dry wt. BT levels were comparable to the levels reported in mussels from some coastal sites as well as a few freshwater ecosystems. Leaching of tributyltin-containing anti-fouling paints in the ocean-going ships is a source of tributyltin, and discharge of municipal sewage and industrial waste waters in to this watershed may account for the presence of the monobutyltin and dibutyltin derivatives detected in the samples. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the butyltin concentrations in sediment and mussel tissues from the lowermost Tennessee River and Kentucky Lake.