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Comparison of the acute toxicity of tributyltin and copper to veliger larvae of Nassarius reticulatus (L.)
Author(s) -
Sousa Ana,
Génio Luciana,
Mendo Sónia,
Barrosoi Carlos
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
applied organometallic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.53
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1099-0739
pISSN - 0268-2605
DOI - 10.1002/aoc.886
Subject(s) - tributyltin , biocide , copper , chemistry , veliger , toxicity , larva , acute toxicity , toxicology , environmental chemistry , gastropoda , biofouling , zoology , ecology , biology , biochemistry , organic chemistry , membrane
The ban on the use of tributyltin (TBT) is promoting an increasing use of copper as an active biocide in antifouling paints, with consequent rising levels of this metal in the environment. This study assesses the acute toxicity of copper and tributyltin to the larvae of the mollusc gastropod Nassarius reticulatus . Recently hatched veligers were exposed to nominal TBT‐Sn concentrations of 0.9, 1.4, 1.9, 2.8, 3.8, 4.7 and 5.6 µg l −1 and nominal copper concentrations of 9.4, 23.4, 46.9, 70.3, 93.8, 117.2, 140.6 and 164.1 µg l −1 for up to 96 h, under static conditions (17 ± 1 °C and 33 ± 1 psu). The percentage of larval mortality was determined for each organometal/metal concentration and exposure time (1, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h). Both TBT and copper had a highly significant effect on larvae survival ( p < 0.001) for all times of exposure, except for the first hour in the particular case of TBT. The lowest observed effect concentration for TBT‐Sn decreased over time from 3.8 µg l −1 at 24 h to 1.9 µg l −1 at 96 h, whereas for copper it remained constant over time (46.9 µg l −1 ). The median lethal concentration (LC 50 ) for TBT‐Sn decreased from 4.87 µg l −1 at 24 h to 1.78 µg l −1 at 96 h, and the LC 50 for copper decreased from 83.08 µg l −1 at 24 h to 58.84 µg l −1 at 96 h. TBT is far more toxic to N. reticulatus larvae than copper. However, owing to the higher copper environmental concentrations, the risk factors of the two biocides may approach each other. This stresses the need to find adequate substitutes for organotin biocides in future antifouling paints. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.