Tributyltin: A Case Study of an Environmental Contaminant is a book in the Cambridge Environmental Chemistry Series (series editors P.G.C. Campbell, J. N. Galloway, and R. M. Harrison) and deals with the environmental and toxicological effects of tributyltin (TBT) and its degradation products. TBT compounds are extremely poisonous and have been used extensively as an active ingredient in marine antifouling paint formulations. It has been estimated that TBT saves the world marine fleet $3 billion annually in financial savings through enhanced fuel efficiency and reduced maintenance requirements. However, it is extremely toxic to oysters and snails. This book is devoted to this area.
It consists of nine chapters by an international group of scientists. Each chapter is complete and comes with its own references.
Chapter 1, by Stephen J. de Mora (20 pp.), is an introduction to TBT, focusing on ocean transportation versus seafood harvesting. Chapter 2, by R. F. Bennett (41 pp.), describes the industrial manufacture and applications of TBT compounds. Chapter 3, by Ph. Quevauviller, (32 pp.), describes the analysis of TBT compounds in the environment and biological materials. Chapter 4, by R. James Maguire (45 pp.), describes the fate and toxicity of TBT and its degradation products in fresh water environments. Chapter 5, by Graeme Batley (27 pp.), describes the distribution and fate of tributyltin in the marine environment. Chapter 6, by Claude Alzieu (44 pp.), descibes the biological effects of TBT on marine organisms. Chapter 7, by Peter E. Gibbs and Geoffrey W. Bryan (24 pp.), discusses TBT-induced imposex in neogastropod snails: from masculinization to mass extinctions. Chapter 8, by Klauss Bosselman (26 pp.), discusses environmental law and TBT in the environment. Chapter 9, by Carol Stewart (33 pp.), discusses the efficacy of legislation in controlling TBT in the marine environment.
This is an interesting and excellent book. I strongly recommend this book. It should be most useful to environmental scientists as well as analytical and organic chemists who are interested in production and fate of an environmental pollutant. It is interesting to note that several of the authors comment on the conflict of financial savings with the environmental aspect of the compound.