Organotin Compounds: Environmental Fate and Analytics

For more than 50 years, organotin compounds have been used in almost all sectors of industry. As a consequence, specific parts of the environment are affected by the emission of these xenobiotics. The emissions of organotin compounds into the environment from paints used in the shipbuilding industry for ship hull coating and from plant protection products are particularly significant. In 2001, the IMO introduced a global ban on the use of organotins in antifouling systems. However, despite the introduction of laws restricting the production and application of organotin compounds, these contaminants still pose a threat to the environment. Organotin compounds have a very negative effect on live organisms, therefore monitoring different parts of the environment for their presence is extremely important. Sampling and determination of organotin levels is a complex process that requires several analytical activities such as the collection, transport, and storage of samples, extraction of analytes from biologica...