An Introduction to Organotin Compounds and Their Use in Antifouling Coatings

This chapter has been prepared as an historical overview of organotin compounds and a discussion on their use as biocides in anti-fouling coatings (boat-bottom paints). It is also a summary of the environmental effects of organotin compounds on nontarget organisms, ranging from oyster shell thickening and growth anomalies to imposex in the common dogwhelk Nucella lapillus. A comparative summary of the toxicity of environmental concentrations of TBT to different groups of marine organisms is also presented. Organotin compounds are today one of the most studied groups of organometallic chemicals. Organotin compounds have demonstrated significant economic benefits, as well as environmental costs, as a result of their varied industrial and agricultural uses and applications. The emphasis of this chapter and this book is on tributyltin (TBT), the principal biocidal ingredient of most organotin antifouling paints. The widespread use of this modern, high-technology group of chemicals in industrial, agricultural, and public health applications poses a potential global dilemma, which requires a better understanding of how to control and utilize the unique properties of organotin compounds.