About this Research Topic
Organotins (OTs) have been used worldwide in industrial and agricultural applications, giving rise to contamination of aquatic environments. In this regard, tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPhT) used as antifouling biocides has been accepted as the main contamination source to marine environments. These OTs are responsible for imposex, a phenomenon consisting of the superimposition of male sexual characters onto gonochoristic gastropod females. This phenomenon, considered as the best example of endocrine disruption in wildlife, affects more than 260 gastropod species. These species have shown a significant correlation between the levels of morphological alterations and environmental concentrations of OTs. Thus, imposex has been used as a specific biomarker of organotin pollution around the world.
Despite restrictions, TBT, TPhT and their degradation products are still present in marine and estuarine systems, probably due to slow degradation rates in sediments, new sources, or unregulated and illegal use in antifouling paints, and imposex is still present in many locations around the world. Thus, OTs global contamination and related effects are not yet a solved problem and deserve sustained attention.
This Research Topic aims to compile the most recent advances on organotin and TBT monitoring, describing temporal and spatial trends, as well as, sources of OT contamination/pollution deepening the study on biological effects induced by these compounds, particularly TBT pollution in gastropods. In addition, amplifying understanding on mechanisms beyond imposex induction seeking to improve biomonitoring tools are also relevant goals.
The purpose of this Research Topic is to bring together scientific studies carried out on imposex and OTs. Among others, the following issues related to imposex and OT pollution are welcome:
• New sentinel species in imposex monitoring
• New or robust long-term imposex monitoring datasets
• Old and new sources of OT pollution in the marine environment
• Impacts of OTs on environmental and human health
• New insights on imposex: molecular mechanisms, routes and concerning contaminants
• Latest technologies in OT detection and quantification in environmental matrices
• Remediation of impacted areas
Despite restrictions, TBT, TPhT and their degradation products are still present in marine and estuarine systems, probably due to slow degradation rates in sediments, new sources, or unregulated and illegal use in antifouling paints, and imposex is still present in many locations around the world. Thus, OTs global contamination and related effects are not yet a solved problem and deserve sustained attention.
This Research Topic aims to compile the most recent advances on organotin and TBT monitoring, describing temporal and spatial trends, as well as, sources of OT contamination/pollution deepening the study on biological effects induced by these compounds, particularly TBT pollution in gastropods. In addition, amplifying understanding on mechanisms beyond imposex induction seeking to improve biomonitoring tools are also relevant goals.
The purpose of this Research Topic is to bring together scientific studies carried out on imposex and OTs. Among others, the following issues related to imposex and OT pollution are welcome:
• New sentinel species in imposex monitoring
• New or robust long-term imposex monitoring datasets
• Old and new sources of OT pollution in the marine environment
• Impacts of OTs on environmental and human health
• New insights on imposex: molecular mechanisms, routes and concerning contaminants
• Latest technologies in OT detection and quantification in environmental matrices
• Remediation of impacted areas
Keywords: Sex, Intersex, Gastropods, Endocrine Disruption, Biomonitoring, Organotin, TBT, TPhT, Phenyltin, Butyltin, Marine Environments, Transitional Waters, Coastal Waters
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