Environmental Significance and Interpretation of Organotin Bioassays

Factors affecting the interpretation of organotin bioassay results with respect to environmental significance were reviewed. It was determined that a thorough understanding of organotin chemistry and bioavailability is essential to this interpretation but neither are well characterized in the laboratory or the field. Analytical limitations enhance this problem. The bioavailability of organotins is affected by suspended particulates, bottom sediment and dissolved organics, but most bioassays do not include or measure these parameters. It is concluded that environmental impact cannot be predicted with the data available from organotin bioassays and field monitoring.