Organotin compounds, particularly TBT and triphenyltin (TPhT) were intensively used as biocides in antifouling paints in China, until the implementation of the restriction on organotin compounds in antifouling paints since 2011.
However, it only set the maximum permissible limit of total
tin in antifouling paints to 1500 mg per kg dry weight according to the National Environmental Protection Standard of the People’s Republic of China.
The results from our project pointed to antifouling ship paints as origin of the sediment contamination with organotin compounds. Therefore, organotin compounds might act as highly specific molecular indicators for dockyard and shipping activities based on their emission
source specificity and their persistence.
Reference
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Copyrights of pictures on this page: Tim Jennerjahn, Inga Nordhaus, Hongwei Zhao, Esther Thomsen, Lucia Herbeck, Lars Möller, Jialin Zhang