Acute toxicity effects of tributyltin chloride and triphenyltin chloride on gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata L., embryos

Acute toxicity studies, using two organotin compounds, tributyltin chloride (TBTCl) and triphenyltin chloride (TPhTCl), were performed on gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata, fertilized eggs. The tests were static and run for 24 h (temperature = 19±1°C, SALINITY = 39.5 g/L). Three replicate egg groups were incubated in solutions containing different concentrations of the toxicants. The (24 h)LC50 value for TBTCl was 28.3 μg/L and for TPhTCl was 34.2 μg/L, when the embryos were at the morula and late blastula stage at the start of the experiment. The value for TBTCl was 38.6 μg/L, when the embryos were at the gastrula stage at the start of the experiment. The results reconfirm the expected toxicity of TBT to this euryhaline fish species and introduce TPhT as a toxicant of potentially similar impact on teleosts.