MUSSEL WATCH : MARINE POLLUTION MONITORING IN ASIAN WATERS

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In this project, mussels from South Korea, Russia, China, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia and India were collected and studied for monitoring marine pollution by persistent organochlorines such as PCBs, DDTs (DDT and its metabolites), CHLs (chlordane compounds), HCHs (hexachiorocyclohexanes) and HCB (hexachiorobenzene), and organotin compounds such as tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin (DBT) and monobutyltin (MBT). Sediments, fishes, birds, small cetaceans etc. were also sampled from some of these countries and investigated on the marine pollution. Although chemical analyses am not yet completed, the following tentative results were obtained ;Butyltins (BTs) and organochiorine compounds (Ocs) in mussels, sediments and biological samples revealed widespread contamination along the coastal waters of Asian developing countries. Relatively high concentrations of BTs were found at locations with intensive boating activities and coastal aquaculture facilities, implying the usage of TBT as a biocide in antifouling paints used on boat hulls and in marine aquaculture. The composition of BT derivatives in mussels were in the order of TBT> DBT > MBT, suggestive of the presence of recent sources in Asian coast. While concentrations of Ocs in mussels were less than BTs, CC residues were apparently dominant in higher trophic animals such as birds and small cetaceans. Considerable residues of p,p-DDT found in mussels indicated current usage of DDT for public health purposes in Asia. HCHs and DDTs contamination in India was apparently higher than in other Asian developing countries. These results clearly indicated that the aquatic environment in the Asia-Pacific region still experience Ocs input.We believe that this is a first comprehensive report on the monitoring of marine pollution by toxic organochlorines and organotins in Asian developing countries, using mussels as bioindicators.