Cobre y compuestos butilados de estaño en sedimentos, y su relación con las pinturas antifouling, en el estuario de Bahía Blanca, Argentina.

FEDERICO DELUCCHI; SANDRA BOTTE; HUGO FREIJE,; JORGE MARCOVECCHIO

Contaminación en Iberoamérica: Xenobióticos y Metales Pesados

Sociedad Iberoamericana de Física y Química Ambiental (RIFyQA)

Lugar: Salamanca; Año: 2008; p. 177 - 194

Abstract: The use of some chemicals, such as Cu and butyltin compounds,with high affinity to sediments leave persistent toxic residues, and they arelikely to produce a negative impact on the environment. However, newinformation about the amount of these chemicals within the studied sedimentsis needed in order to assess the corresponding risk. A rapid increasein both the traffic of ships and the industrial development has occurred overthe last 25 years in the Bahía Blanca estuary. This fact is extremely importantfrom an economic viewpoint not only for Bahía Blanca, but also for theneighbouring region although its environmental impact has not beencompletely evaluated up to now. This study deals with the updating of informationon several chemicals (i.e., Cu and butyltin compounds) used inmarine paints as biocide to prevent the fouling on ships and harbour facilities.Different sites located over a gradient of impact within the estuary(including reference ones) have been selected for this research. The studywas focused on: 1) available metals within the sediments; 2) comparison ofthe distribution and concentration of TBT (Tributyltin) and Cu; and 3) adiscussion on the potential environmental impact of these substancesaccording to the recorded levels. Comparison of the levels of both elementswithin the sediments from the inner zone of the estuary indicated thatdetectable anthropogenic inputs occurred, particularly for TBT (0.98 ? 416.09ng TBT g-1). The higher contents of Cu (10-21 μg Cu g-1 dry wt.) were detectedin two sites where the marine traffic was more intense. Notwithstanding, andkeeping in mind that the obtained values were in the same order of magnitudeas those from the 1980s, they can be considered as background concentrationswithin the system. The obtained results revealed that TBT is more significantthan Cu regarding their use as antifoulant agents and the pollution statusof the sediments.