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Intake and Potential Health Risk of Butyltin Compounds from Seafood Consumption in Korea

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Abstract

Concentrations of butyltin compounds (BTs) were determined in 47 species of seafood commonly consumed in Korea to investigate intakes of BTs from seafood consumption and the potential health risks to the Korean population. The concentrations of BTs (the sum of dibutyltin and tributyltin) in seafood ranged from less than the limit of detection to 96.3 ng/g wet weight, which are levels similar to those reported for other countries. The intake of BTs from seafood consumption by the general population was estimated to be 17.2 ng/kg body weight/day. Fish accounted for 50% of the total intakes of BT, and the next contributor was cephalopods (26%). The estimated intakes for males and females were 18.6 and 15.7 ng/ kg body weight/day, respectively. Among the age groups investigated, children (<2 years and 3–6 years) had higher intakes of BTs compared with adults. The estimated intake of BTs for Korean population groups was 5–8% of the tolerable daily intake of 250 ng/ kg body weight/day set by the European Food Safety Authority. Our results suggest that the Korean population is not expected to exceed the threshold value for adverse health effects.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Hyo-Ju Kang and Ji-Young Eom for help with the butyltin analysis. This study was funded by a grant from the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI, RP-2011-ME-12) and the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM), Korea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Environment Research Division, National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI), 152-1, Haean-ro, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan, 619-705, Republic of Korea

    Minkyu Choi & Hee-Gu Choi

  2. Department of Environmental Marine Sciences, College of Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan, 426-791, Republic of Korea

    Hyo-Bang Moon

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  1. Minkyu Choi
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  2. Hyo-Bang Moon
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Correspondence to Minkyu Choi.

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Choi, M., Moon, HB. & Choi, HG. Intake and Potential Health Risk of Butyltin Compounds from Seafood Consumption in Korea. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 62, 333–340 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-011-9688-5

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